


300 Minutes

by liberallesbian37



Category: Pretty Little Liars
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-15
Updated: 2015-12-26
Packaged: 2018-04-26 12:18:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 32
Words: 32,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5004544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liberallesbian37/pseuds/liberallesbian37
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It takes 300 minutes for Hanna Marin and Aria Montgomery to fall in love. Told in three minutes segments, this is their story. (Takes place in the Dollhouse.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

                Hanna woke up with a start, unable to place where she was. She wasn’t in her jail cell, but she wasn’t at home either. She forced her eyes open, and the last forty-eight hours came flooding back. They had been kidnapped. A had stolen them from right under the police’s nose. They’d been forced to put on a prom…where they’d hatched an escape plan. Which had worked, until they discovered the electric fence surrounding them. And now here they were, locked outside with no food or water in the middle of god knew where, exposed to the elements until A let them inside.

                “How long can a person survive without food?” she asked as a violent growl ripped through her stomach. She regretted her refusal to eat the “lunch” A had provided yesterday.

                “Three weeks,” Spencer and Mona responded at the same time.

                “Water’s a different story, though. We can only last three days, give or take, without water,” Spencer said. Hanna felt someone shiver, and she looked down. Somehow she hadn’t realized that Aria was practically curled up in her lap.

                “I’ve never been this thirsty in my life,” Aria mumbled. Hanna ran her fingers through Aria’s hair. Her time in jail had changed her. Spencer had always been the “strong one”, the protector, but now Hanna felt like that was her job. She’d tried to prepare them as well as she could in the van, but this was a different story. She had no idea to protect them from this. Was this how Spencer felt when they looked to her for advice? Aria’s teeth started chattering, and Hanna’s concern increased.

                “Spence,” she whispered. Spencer shot Emily a disgusted look in response to something she said before turning to Hanna.

                “Help me move her between us. She’s really cold.”

                Spencer nodded in understanding, and between the two of them, they managed to wedge Aria between their bodies. Her shivers decreased slightly.

                “How long do you think he’s going to leave us out here?” Aria asked, looking at Mona. She shrugged.

                “As long as he wants.”

\--

                Hanna wasn’t sure how long A ended up leaving them outside, now was she sure that whatever awaited them inside would be any better. But when Mona said they should go back inside, she followed without questions. They were almost to their bedrooms when gas came spraying out of the vents.

                “No!” She heard Spencer yell, but her voice was already fading.

\--

                Aria woke up feeling like she’d been sucker punched.

                “Hanna? Spencer? Emily?” Her voice came out as a whisper, and she tried to clear her throat. Next to her, someone groaned.

                “What happened to us?” Hanna asked, sitting up. Emily quickly looked under the white sheet identical to the ones covering the other girls.

                “Oh, thank god,” she sighed in relief. Aria quirked an eyebrow, waiting for an explanation.

                “For a minute I was worried A might have harvested our organs.”

                Spencer said something in reply, but Aria wasn’t paying attention. Her focus was on a sound coming from outside the door. A few seconds later, Mona entered.

                “Hello, ladies. How are you feeling?” she greeted as if they hadn’t spent days outside together. Spencer practically jumped on her with questions.

                “What’s going on? How long have we been unconscious?”

                “Just a few hours. Here’s some juice and aspirin.” She handed them each a white pill and small plastic cup of orange juice. Part of Aria wanted to throw the juice in Mona’s face, but she knew this wasn’t the other girl’s fault. And besides, she was really thirsty. As soon as they’d all taken their pills, the damn flight attendant voice came over the intercom.

                “Please follow the lighted passageway and return to your rooms.” They all shared a look.

                “You better do what she says,” Mona warned under her breath. Huddling together, they started to back to their rooms. Slowly, each girl entered the room.

                “No, no, no!” Aria screamed.


	2. Day 1

Day 1

                Aria stared numbly at the wall of her “room”. She’d been in here less than twenty four hours and already she was breaking. She didn’t know exactly how long it had been, of course A wouldn’t allow them the luxury of a clock, but Mona had said the generator shut off at the same time every night, and that hadn’t happened yet. She knew this because since the second she stepped inside and the door slammed shut, worried cries of her family had been blaring nonstop from the speakers. Her ears rang with the sound of her mother sobbing, her father pleading, and her brother yelling. She didn’t know how A had gotten the recording. Maybe it shouldn’t come as any surprise, after all, how hard could it be to get a couple of recordings when you’ve just kidnapped four girls from a police van? She wondered briefly if the other girls were going through the same thing right now. Mona had mentioned being punished with her mother’s sobs. Was that what this was? Was this punishment for the prom incident?

                She tried to imagine the reactions of the other parents. It was morbid, but it took her mind off of her own family’s pain. Ashley had to be a mess, and Aria was willing to bet Tom wouldn’t be any help to her. As far as Aria knew, Tom hadn’t visited Ashley or Hanna the entire time Hanna was in jail. Pam would be worried sick, while Wayne was probably fighting for a way to come home. She hoped he was able to; it would mean a lot Emily if he was there when they got out. She had a harder time picturing how the Hastings would react. She’d never seen Veronica or Peter show much outward emotion, but she knew how much they loved Spencer, even if they didn’t always know how to show it. She decided they were probably at the police station, hounding Tanner, threatening lawsuits if their daughter wasn’t found. Aria almost smirked at the thought. She wondered if Melissa had been called, if she came home from London.

                Her thoughts then drifted to Ezra. Would anyone think to call him? Though they’d broken up, she still loved him. Oh, god, and what about Andrew? Aria wasn’t even sure she liked him very much, but what if she never got the opportunity to figure it out? She wondered if Caleb knew, and she hoped he and Ashley could lean on each other. Had anyone called Paige? She wasn’t sure when she and Emily had last spoken, but she knew Paige would want to know what was going on. The only silver lining to this was Toby. He was on the police force; he had to have some pull, right? And Aria knew he wouldn’t give up until Spencer—and the rest of them—were home, safe.

                By this point, she was so numb to the noise, she almost didn’t notice the speakers had silenced. She glanced up, wondering if A had something new up their sleeves. Almost in answer to her question, the door creaked open. Aria froze in terror. She changed her mind; she could handle the recordings, whatever. She didn’t want A anywhere near her.

                “Aria?”

                Relief spread throughout Aria’s body at the familiar voice, quickly followed by concern for her friend.

                “Han, what are you doing here?” Aria whispered, even though A couldn’t hear them.

                “I wanted to check on you. Scoot over.”

                Aria wondered if she should be worried about the fact that she hadn’t even noticed Hanna nearing her bed. She couldn’t afford not to be observant in here, and she vowed to pay more attention to _everything_ in here in the future. Although, honestly, it wasn’t like she had any control over what happened to her, observant or not. She complied with Hanna’s request, though, and the blonde sat down next to her.

                “If A finds you here…” Aria cautioned, not even wanting to think about what A would do if he caught Hanna in her bedroom.

                “He won’t. I’ll be back in my room before the power comes on,” she promised. Aria nodded slowly, processing this. She was surprised to feel Hanna grab her hand, but realized maybe the blonde needed comfort as much as she did. She wondered if Emily or Spencer had had similar ideas, and felt a pang of guilt. Here she was, deriving at least a small amount of comfort from Hanna, while her other two best friends were alone. She wondered why Hanna had chosen to visit her instead of Emily or Spencer, or even Mona. She considered asking her, but was almost afraid of the answer. What if they weren’t in their rooms and Hanna just didn’t want to tell her? What if she had been the last resort? She had to be the last resort. There was simply no way Hanna would choose to come to her room over Emily, Spencer, or Mona. She and Emily had always been closer to each other, Spencer was the obvious choice in a crisis, and Mona—well, they’d all thought Mona was dead. Though Mona and Hanna had had their ups and downs over the years, Aria was sure Hanna wanted to catch up with her. Why would she choose to visit Aria?

Hanna squeezed her hand, and again, she wondered if Hanna had been tortured with her family’s voices, but she couldn’t bring herself to ask, nor did Hanna broach the topic. In fact, neither girl said anything until, all too soon, Hanna stood up.

“I’ll see you tomorrow. Stay strong.”

“You too,” Aria started to say, but Hanna had already dashed away. Seconds later, the speakers began blaring their recording again, and Aria wondered if she had imagined the entire thing. She’d only had a few sips of water, and no food. She was dehydrated and staving, she was probably delusional. Then she remembered the feeling of Hanna holding her hand, and she knew it was real. She could still hear her parents and Mike crying, but it was more bearable now. Now, she held onto Hanna’s promise: I’ll see you tomorrow.


	3. Day 2

Day 2

                Hanna paced back and forth angrily. She didn’t know if it had been five minutes or five hours since she’d returned to her room after visiting Aria. There was only artificial light in the room, and it had been on since the power came back on. She almost wished something—anything—would happen to break the monotony of it all. Since the second she’d entered her room after parting ways with her friends, she had been surrounded by silence. Silence, and florescent lighting. It was ironic almost, to be surrounded by light in a place so dark. At least, it would be ironic if she didn’t have such a giant headache.

                Someone, presumably Mona, had slipped a Dixie cup of water and one slice of bread into her room earlier. She’d been fed better in prison. Momentarily forgetting the dehydration she had felt only yesterday, she threw the water at the camera. Now she was beginning to regret it, especially after the gnawing feeling in her stomach prompted her to nibble on the bread. Her mouth was dry and stale.

She had tried to lie down and sleep, but the bright lights made it impossible. So instead, she was pacing. She was hungry, tired, lonely, and thirsty. She was worried about her friends and what was happening behind their closed doors. Had they received food and water today? Were they able to sleep? Was the silence threatening to drive them crazy? She remembered the panic in Aria’s eyes when she’d opened the door last night. Had A hurt any of them physically? She tried to remember everything Mona had told her about this place. The sirens, the hole, the footage from her ‘funeral’… She couldn’t remember Mona saying anything about being physically touched by A, but she also didn’t know if Mona would have admitted that to them all. The thought of anyone putting their hands on one of her friends make her feel sick. Her right hand instinctively cradled the left. Ali hadn’t broken any bones in her mission to find a way to talk, but it still hurt like hell.

Finally, she heard the hum the generator made every time it was about to shut off, and she sneakily positioned herself close to the door. She knew A could be watching, and didn’t want to alert him in case he came to check on her. The lights went out and Hanna made a dash to Aria’s room. She wasn’t sure why she had chosen to visit Aria last night, or why she was risking being locked out to do it again, but she couldn’t help herself. Whatever the reason, she needed to see Aria.

Her heart sank when she saw her friend. The tiny brunette was curled up on her side, crying into her pillow. Hanna sat down next to and began rubbing her back comfortingly. She’d spent countless nights in jail doing the exact same thing, wishing someone was there with her. Part of her wanted to share her story about the water, but she was also afraid to. What if Aria hadn’t received water, and thought Hanna was stupid to waste hers? This led back to the question of whether or not A was treating them the same, and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to know the answer. After another thirty seconds of watching Aria cry, though, she decided to risk it.

“Someone brought me some water today,” she started cautiously, waiting for Aria’s response before continuing. Aria’s tears stopped temporarily while she listened to Hanna.

“I got mad and threw it at the camera.”

Aria laughed weakly, and Hanna brightened a little. She felt even stupider telling the story out loud, but it was almost worth it to hear Aria’s laugh.

“That was silly of you,” Aria commented dryly. Hanna chuckled.

“I’d use something a little stronger, but yeah,” Hanna agreed.

“Did it mess up the camera at least?” Aria asked. Hanna shrugged.

“Not that I know of. Probably not. It wasn’t very much water, and I mostly missed.”

“This is dangerous, you know,” Aria said after a few seconds.

“I know. I don’t care,” Hanna answered honestly. There wasn’t anything A could do to her that would be worse than what she’d already been through.

“You heard Mona say what would happen if we got locked out,” she warned. Hanna’s mind flashed back to her formerly dead friend’s warning. _It leaves you for days without food or water. It blasts the siren until you’d rather die than listen to it one more second. On a loop it plays a recording of the people that you’ve left behind._ Given her earlier stunt, Hanna doubted she’d be receiving more food or water for a while anyway.

“I don’t care,” she repeated.

“I could come to your room tomorrow night,” Aria offered. Hanna shook her head sharply. She knew the risk she was taking, and she accepted it. She didn’t want Aria taking on that risk just because she felt some misguided obligation to be fair.

“I’ve gotten my routine down,” Hanna lied. The look on Aria’s face told her that her excuse wasn’t believed, but Aria didn’t protest. Hanna wondered if the other girl was relieved, or if she just knew she wouldn’t win this argument.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Hanna promised, giving Aria’s hand a squeeze. Aria nodded, and Hanna offered her a small smile before rushing back to her room. Two seconds after she returned, the light came back on. She slumped down against the door in relief. That had been close. She wondered if A suspected what she had done, given her position. But what would he do about it? She had gotten back in time. She glared up at the camera, and with bravery she didn’t quite have, lifted her hand up to flip off it off. A satisfied smile crossed her face when A turned the lights out. Maybe the darkness was supposed to be punishment, but it felt like heaven after the hours of brightness.

She was about to get into bed and try to sleep, when her door opened. Suddenly, she realized the reason for the darkness. She had no defense against her invisible attacker. Someone grabbed her from behind and pressed a cloth to her face. She struggled, but the chloroform worked quickly, and soon she was limp in A’s arms.


	4. Day 3

Day 3

                When Hanna didn’t show up that night, Aria was immediately worried. Had she been caught last night? Did this have something to do with today’s strange—and painful—events? Aria had fallen asleep last night in bed, and awoken strapped to a chair in a dark room. She hadn’t known what was going at first. She was alone, no instructions were given. Then she heard the hum of electricity… She shuddered at the memory. Making a split second decision, Aria tiptoed out of her room and to Hanna’s door. She considered knocking, but decided to just go in. She didn’t have any time to waste.

                “Hanna?” she called softly, entering the room. The blonde was in her bed, facing the opposite wall. She was shaking.

                “Go away,” she mumbled with a sniffle. Aria could tell she’d been crying, and her heart broke. She wanted to go over to her friend, hold her while she cried, but she knew that wasn’t what Hanna wanted. Aria understood, of course. It was one thing the four girls had in common. While they all wanted to comfort each other, none of them wanted to accept, or especially ask for, comfort.

                “I’m just going to stay here for a minute, okay?” she asked. Hanna didn’t respond, and Aria decided to take it as acceptance. She wondered if Hanna was sporting small circular burns similar to her own from A’s game earlier, but she didn’t want to ask. She knew if the situations were reversed, she wouldn’t want to be prodded about it.

                Hanna, meanwhile, was exercising every ounce of self control she had not to throw herself at Aria’s feet and beg for forgiveness. Guilt had kept her from going to Aria’s room, but she should have known the other girl would come over to check on her.  She didn’t apologize though, because selfishly, she didn’t want her friend to hate her. She hadn’t meant to do it, and she would take it back in a heartbeat. When she had woken up tied down to a chair and told to pick a friend to receive food and water, she didn’t realize the consequence of not choosing was-, well, she didn’t actually know what it was. All she knew was that when she hadn’t chosen someone within five seconds, the sounds of her three best friends’ pain filled screams filled the room. She wished she could ask Aria what A had done, but that would involve admitting she had caused it.

                Aria sighed softly, wishing she could work up the courage to ask Hanna if she was okay. That was stupid, of course. None of them were okay. But she longed to know if her friends had been harmed the same way she had. A terrible thought crossed her mind—what if A knew Hanna had been visiting her and today had been her punishment? If that had been the punishment for being visited, Aria couldn’t even begin to imagine what Hanna’s punishment must have been.

                “You only have thirty seconds,” Hanna said quietly. Aria jumped, grateful for the reminder. She’d completely forgotten that she was on a strict timeline, and she didn’t want to think about what would happen if A found her in here. Still, she hesitated at the door. Hanna was so upset…

                “Go. I promise I’ll come by tomorrow,” Hanna urged.

Only somewhat reassured, Aria ran back to her room. Tears fell from her eyes, and she ripped the blanket from her bed. Angrily, she sat down on the floor, her back against the wall, and wrapped the blanket around herself. She didn’t want to sleep. The last time she’d fallen asleep, she’d woken up attached to wires. She was worried about Hanna, and Spencer, and Emily. She was worried about Mike, and Ella, and Byron. She was worried about Alison—was she still sitting in jail? She was worried about herself, hell she was even worried about Mona. And there was absolutely nothing she could do about any of it besides sit and wait.

Across the hall, Hanna was crying even harder than before. She didn’t know why she had promised to visit Aria the next night. All she wanted to do was curl up in a ball and die. The guilt was too much. If hunger or thirst didn’t kill her, the guilt actually might. That was a lie, though; she knew why she’d made that promise. She’d seen Aria hesitate at the door, and knew she needed to say something to get the brunette back to her room before the lights and cameras came back on. She also knew that if she didn’t keep that promise, Aria would just come back. It was Hanna’s own fault. She was the one who had started these nightly visits. She couldn’t blame Aria for it now, and besides, she still drew some comfort from seeing her friend alive and well. _Well-ish, anyway. You hurt her earlier. And she’ll hate you if she finds out what you did._ Hanna squeezed her eyes shut and tried to ignore the cruel voices in her head. _You’re the problem, Hanna, you’re always the problem._

Hanna’s eyes snapped open. That voice wasn’t in her head. It was Aria’s voice, and she could remember exactly when those words had been uttered. It was when she’d tried to tell Aria about Zack, and Aria had accused her of being drunk and causing problems. But how did A have that? They’d been in Aria’s house, alone. She realized in horror that A must have recording devices all over the place, in their houses, in their cars, on their phones. A really was everywhere, and now he was using that fight against her. It had been painful enough the first time.

_You’re the problem._

_You’re the problem._

_You’re always the problem._

Hanna stuffed the pillow over her head in an attempt to drown out the voice of her best friend, but it only seemed to get louder. Eventually, Hanna fell into a restless sleep.


	5. Day 4

Day 4

 

                The first thing Aria thought when she woke up was _Oh god, not again._ She had fallen asleep on the floor last night, and had once again awoken tied to a chair. She realized that instead of wires, she was bound by rope. On the table in front of her were pictures of her friends, all looking worse for the wear. She noticed a bruise on Spencer’s face that hadn’t been there the last time she’d seen her, and fury coursed through her veins. Who had hit her? Had it been A? Or Mona?

                “Choose who deserves lunch,” the annoying pleasant voice ordered. Aria looked around the room.

                “I won’t choose which of my friends deserves lunch. They ALL deserve eat,” Aria said coldly, staring right at the camera.

                “Please make your choice in five… four… three… two… one. Time is up.”

                Suddenly, Aria’s ears were blasted with the screams of her friends. She could pick out each one clearly, and she wondered if they were being shocked, as had happened to her the previous day. Had A made someone else choose yesterday? Had they refused to choose as well? A tear slipped down Aria’s cheek from the knowledge that she had caused her friends pain.

                “Please, give me another chance!” she yelled, but there was no reply. Aria started crying and she stared at the pictures of her friends, wishing she could see them right now. She remembered how weird Hanna had acted last night, and she realized that her blonde friend must have been the one in this position yesterday, and she must have made the same mistake Aria did.

                A hand touched her shoulder and Aria jumped.

                “It’s just me,” Hanna whispered, gingerly climbing into bed with her. Breathing heaving, Aria realized she was back in her bed. When had that happened? The last thing she remembered was accidentally causing her friends to be harmed.

                “I’m sorry,” she whispered. Hanna wrapped her arm around Aria and squeezed her tightly. She didn’t say anything in response to Aria’s apology, but she pressed a kiss against her bare shoulder.

                 Aria closed her eyes and for just a moment, was able to pretend she was back in her own bed, her real bed. She and Hanna had shared a bed many times, and Hanna always insisted on being the big spoon. She thought back to the night she’d learned about Ezra’s involvement on the A team. Hanna had shown up at her house, long after everyone had left, and forced her way inside. Aria had yelled at her and tried to kick her out, but the blonde had led her into the bedroom, helped her into her pajamas, and put her in bed. Then she’d laid down next to Aria and put her arm around her—much like she was now. Hanna had stayed the whole night, never saying a word, and she hadn’t protested when Aria left town the next morning. Thought it had been one of the worst nights of her life, Aria would give anything to go back to it.

                “I love you, Ar,” Hanna whispered, bringing Aria back to her present hell. She turned over to face Hanna. She couldn’t make out any of the blonde’s features in the darkness, but her hand managed to find Hanna’s.

                “I love you too, Han,” she said, squeezing Hanna’s hand. Hanna squeezed back reassuringly.

                “Do you remember the night I found out that Ezra was A?” Aria asked. Hanna frowned.

                “Of course I do. Why?”

                “I was so mean to you guys… All you were doing was trying to help me, and I was horrible.”

                “You were upset,” Hanna said gently.

                “That’s not an excuse. Spencer… she did everything she could to keep me from getting hurt and I threw it in her face!”

                “She understood.”

                “Even after I yelled and threw stuff and burned the book, you stayed. You stayed all night. Why did you do that?” she asked curiously. Hanna didn’t say anything for a few seconds. She remembered that night as well as Aria did. Caleb had been in Ravenswood, she’d been so lonely and confused, and she’d convinced herself that she just wanted to be there for her heartbroken friend. She’d felt so happy, so at peace, cuddling with Aria. It had almost made her feel guilty, being happy while her friend was so sad. She realized Aria was still waiting for an answer.

                “Well,” she said, stalling to try to find a decent answer. “You would have done the same for me. You have done the same for me.”

                “Yeah, but you never yelled at me the way I yelled at you,” Aria whispered in an ashamed voice. Hanna nodded slowly, thinking.

                “I knew you didn’t mean it, Ar. And I think, even if I had reacted the way you did, you would have stayed with me anyway. Wouldn’t you have?”

                “Yeah… I would have.”

                Hanna chuckled and kissed Aria’s shoulder again.

                “I have to go,” she said regretfully.

                “I know. I’ll come to your room tomorrow, okay?” She was surprised, but pleased, when Hanna didn’t protest.

                “Get some sleep,” Hanna ordered before leaving the room, leaving Aria alone once again, the feeling of Hanna’s lips still on her shoulder, and the warmth of her arms still around her.

                Aria found herself wishing she could spend the entire night wrapped in Hanna’s arms. She never felt as safe as she did when Hanna was holding her. The realization struck her like a freight train. She’d been held by Ezra, obviously, and Spencer, and occasionally even Emily, and they all made her feel safe enough. After the Halloween train, she’d actually sought out Spencer above anyone else to chase away the memory of the box and Garret’s dead body. But right now, in A’s hellish dollhouse, she realized she didn’t want Spencer to hold her. She didn’t want Emily to hold her. She didn’t even want Ezra to hold her. She only wanted Hanna. And she had absolutely no idea what to make of that.


	6. Day 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Warning: POSSIBLE TRIGGERS for sexual assault*** (There isn't any assault, but it could still be triggering.)

Day 5

 

                By their fifth day inside, the eleventh day since they’d been taken, Hanna was sure she smelled awful. And A must have agreed, because moments after returning from being shocked—again—the voice ordered her to go into the bathroom. Hanna walked to the door hesitantly. It had always been locked before, unless she asked A specifically for permission to use the toilet, and A granted it. Now, however, it opened without a problem.      

                “Please remove your clothes,” the voice ordered cheerfully. Hanna paused. Was A watching her?

                “Please remove your clothes and enter the shower.” Squeezing her eyes closed, Hanna took off her clothing and stepped into the shower. There were no knobs. She frowned, puzzled, and then water sprayed down on her. She jumped back in surprise, but quickly relaxed. It was the perfect temperature, not too hot, not too cold. Before she thought about what she was doing, Hanna opened her mouth and let the water flood her parched throat. It felt heavenly. She’d only gotten a few desperate gulps, however, when suddenly the water turned scalding hot. She scrambled away from the stream of water, but A was having none of it.

                “Please finish your shower.” For the first time, Hanna noticed the single use packages of shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and a washcloth. Reaching across the steaming water quickly, she grabbed the packages. She tore apart the shampoo and lathered her hair, inhaling its sweet lavender scent. For a brief second, she was transported back to… somewhere. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Then, taking a deep breath, she dared the water. It immediately burned her scalp, but she pushed through, even as tears filled her eyes. She knew there was no getting out until finished. After rinsing all the shampoo out, she repeated the process with the conditioner. She stepped back and waited for A to turn off the water.

                “Please wash your body,” the voice demanded. Hanna blanched at the order. She was supposed to wash herself with A watching?

                “Please wash your body.”

                “I heard you the first time, bitch,” Hanna grumbled. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, Hanna squirted the body wash onto the wash cloth and quickly cleaned her burned skin. At last, the water turned off.

                “Please exit the bathroom.”

                Hanna looked around both the bathroom and the bedroom for a towel, but there were none to be found. Tears of frustration filled her eyes as she considered her options. She could cover up with a blanket, but that would make her blanket wet. She could get dressed, but who knew when A would give her new clothes. Finally, she settled on curling up in the corner, tears streaming, while she waited to dry.

\--

                As promised, Aria entered Hanna’s bedroom only seconds after the power went out. She slipped into Hanna’s bed and wrapped her arm around the blonde. She noticed that her hair was wet as well.

                “A made you shower too?” she asked. Hanna nodded. Aria shivered and snuggled closer to Hanna, who turned over and pulled the brunette into a warm embrace.

                “Are you cold?” she asked in concern. She still felt like her own body was on fire, ad she was pretty sure there were blisters on her back.

                “Yeah. Apparently A didn’t appreciate me drinking the water in the shower. He made it so cold it was practically sleet.”

                Hanna chuckled, causing Aria to glare at her in the darkness.

                “Is that funny?”

                “Of course not,” Hanna said, rubbing Aria’s arm to help warm her up. She was reminded of one of the nights outside, when she’d been so worried about Aria being cold.

                “Except I did the same thing and A tried to boil me,” she explained. This prompted a small laugh from Aria.

                “I guess we think alike, huh?” They were both silent for a few seconds, enjoying the safety of each other’s arms before Aria had to leave. Hanna swallowed thickly.

                “That… that shower was humiliating,” she whispered.

                “I know.”

                “You should probably go back.”

                “I know.”

                Hanna sighed. She wanted more than anything to keep Aria in her bed, where she could hold her and keep her safe. She got a whiff of lavender when Aria stood up, and Hanna remembered what it reminded her of. It was the same shampoo that Alison’s mother always used, some crazy expensive brand imported from France. Alison had used it one time in sixth grade and Jessica grounded her for a week. But why was A making them use Jessica DiLaurentis’s shampoo?

                “Hey, will you visit me tomorrow?” Aria asked in a small voice, as if there was any question.

                “You bet.”

                Aria smiled, satisfied, and leaned down to press a kiss to Hanna’s forehead.

                Hours later, long after Aria left, and A had began his latest torture, Hanna wondered what it meant that she wished Aria had kissed her lips instead of her forehead. She shook her head. There was a perfectly good reason she was feeling this way. She’d been locked away for so long now, it was natural that she would be feeling a pull toward someone, anyone, who was close to her. If she had been seeing Spencer or Emily, she would be feeling this way toward them. It wasn’t anything about Aria in particular. She had a boyfriend, for God’s sake. She was lonely and seeking comfort from the person closest to her. She worried about Aria the most because she was so small, so vulnerable. Emily and Spencer had been through worse than Aria, they were stronger, and better prepared for what A might do. That was all there was to it. It had nothing to do with the way Hanna’s heart beat faster when she was next to Aria, or the way Aria pressed her feet up against Hanna’s legs in bed. It wasn’t about Aria’s small smile that she offered Hanna every night, or the way the memory of touch made the pain feel better. It was comfort, plain and simple.


	7. Day 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for eating disorders

Day 6

 

                When Hanna woke up the next morning, she awoke with a smile on her face. It had all been a dream, a horrible nightmare. None of it was real. Ashley must have decided to make breakfast; she could smell the bacon and pancakes and coffee brewing. She inhaled deeply and opened her eyes. And the illusion was shattered. She was still in A’s dollhouse. She looked around the room, searching for the source of the deceptive scent. She found it on the dresser. She walked over, not believing her eyes. There were three trays, each with a full plate of food. Hanna’s eyes narrowed in confusion.

                One plate had six cupcakes, another three cheeseburgers, and the third was stacked high with pancakes and bacon. There was also a cup of coffee, a can of Coke, and a glass of water. Next to each plate was a small label. “Emily”, “Aria”, “Spencer”. Hanna frowned as she opened a fourth folded piece of paper.

_Hanna,_

_Let’s play a game! I made your favorites. All you have to do is eat each plate of food. For each plate, one of your friends will get dinner. I know it’s a lot of food, so after each plate, you must purge. There’s a bucket by the door. Follow the rules or your friends will starve!_

_Kisses,_

_A_

                Hanna felt like gagging as she looked at the trays of food that, moments ago, had seemed so appetizing. She retrieved the bucket and began her task. The first cheeseburger wasn’t bad—in fact, Hanna welcomed the taste of real food after so long. But soon her stomach began rebelling. She easily vomited up the three cheeseburgers, along with the coke. If nothing else, at least Aria would eat tonight.

                An hour later, Hanna managed to complete her task. Thankfully, she’d been smart enough to save the glass of water, which she quickly downed. Her throat was raw and her stomach ached, but she’d done what she had to do. Her friends would do the same for her, she was sure. She shivered as she tried to think of what A might make her friends do. As far as she knew, she was the only one with an eating disorder. Hanna clasped a hand over her mouth, struck by a horrible thought. What if A got Spencer hooked on drugs again? It seemed like a possibility…

                Finally, Hanna heard the familiar hum and she prepared herself to run to Aria’s room.

                “You smell like puke,” Aria greeted, wrinkling her nose. Hanna rolled her eyes.

                “Gee, thanks,” she replied sarcastically. Aria raised an eyebrow.

                “Are you all right?” she asked.

                “I’m fine,” Hanna snapped. Aria’s face fell, and Hanna instantly regretted her harsh tone. She knew Aria was just concerned, and she would be too if the situations were reversed.

                “Sorry… I just don’t feel like talking about it,” Hanna whispered. Aria nodded, content with her friend’s answer. She understood not wanting to talk.

                “Did you eat today?” Hanna asked abruptly.

                “Yeah… Did you?” Aria asked. Hanna nodded, leaving out the part about being forced to purge. At least she knew A kept their promises—good and bad.

                “I found a flashlight,” Aria announced out of the blue. Hanna frowned.

                “You shouldn’t use it.”

                “Why not?”

                “Because. If you found a flashlight, it’s because A wanted you to find a flashlight. Who knows what he could be up to.” Aria rolled her eyes.

                “It’s just a flashlight, Han. It’s not going to alert the media or anything. Although, it would be nice if it alerted the media, wouldn’t it?”

                “I’m more concerned about it alerting A,” Hanna grumbled, but she knew she’d lost. If Aria wanted to use the flashlight, she knew she couldn’t stop her.

                “It won’t. Besides, maybe now I won’t trip on the way to your room every other night.” Hanna chuckled. Even with nothing in the hallways, Aria could manage to trip over something.

                “Do you think Spencer and Emily are okay?” Aria asked.

                “Of course,” Hanna answered immediately.

                “What about Mona? Have you seen her since--”

                “No, but I’m sure she’d fine,” Hanna said, cutting Aria off. She wished she was as sure as she pretended to be, but in reality she had no idea if her friends were okay.

                “How do you know?” Aria asked.

                “Look, if A wanted to kill us, he would. That fact that we’re still alive means he wants us to be alive. I think we all know that it’s been that way for a while.”

                Neither girl said anything, and a few seconds later Hanna started to get up.

                “Hey,” Aria said softly, grabbing Hanna’s wrist. Hanna stopped.

                “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

                Hanna nodded, her stomach in knots. She knew Aria was clinging to hope, and right now she wasn’t doing anything to help.

                “Yeah, tomorrow.”

\--

                Later, as Aria was trying to fall asleep, she considered what Hanna had said. _If A wanted to kill us, he would. The fact that we’re still alive means he wants us alive. I think we all know that it’s been that way for a while._

                She wondered just how true that statement was. Obviously A was keeping them alive now, for whatever reason, but what about before? How many times had A nearly killed them? A hadn’t known Aria was driving to Spencer’s that night she was locked in the steam room. A couldn’t have known—Aria hadn’t even planned it until she was halfway there. And what about when she and Spencer had been locked in that freezer? They had been seconds away from passing out when Emily managed to open the door. It wasn’t like A had been standing around the corner waiting to save them if Emily couldn’t. Then there was that thing with Caleb and the kiln… Aria shivered. Clearly, even if A was keeping them alive, he didn’t have any hesitation about trying to kill them. And who would save them in here?

 


	8. Day 7

Day 7

 

                Aria woke the next morning to a “gift”. On her dresser sat a bottle of pink hair dye. Next to the dye was a message.

 “Use it or get a surprise.”

                Aria stared at the bottle, trying to figure out what it meant. Obviously A wanted her to dye her hair, but why? Slowly, the pieces began to fall into place. When she’d commented that Hanna smelled like puke yesterday, she’d assumed that she’d been sick. Aria herself had felt nauseous when A had shocked her, as well as when she’d heard her friends screams of pain. But what if that hadn’t been the case? She recalled that day outside Lucky Leon’s…

_Remember when I used to eat when I got nervous or felt bad? Alison walked in on me after a binge, and she was actually kind. Or so I though. She helped me throw up… That was just such a low point in my life._

What if A had forced Hanna to binge and purge? And now he was trying to force Aria to put pink streaks in her hair. It all made sense. A was trying to turn them into who they were the summer before Alison went missing. A was playing with them like they were dolls. Narrowing her eyes, Aria picked up the bottle. She turned toward the camera and lifted up the bottle.

                “You want me to dye my hair?”

One chime. Mona had said one chime meant yes. Aria glared at the camera, anger coursing through her veins.

“I am not your doll!” she hissed, throwing the bottle at the wall. It burst open and splattered the wall with pink dye. Aria gave a proud nod, and waited for her punishment…

\--

                Hours later, nothing had happened. Aria didn’t believe for a second that A had forgotten about her stunt, but maybe he had decided not to punish her. Maybe he was proud, in some sick twisted sense, of her for standing up to him. She snorted. That seemed unlikely. It was more likely that he was just waiting for the perfect moment to punish her, but she pushed that thought out of her mind. She practically skipped to Hanna’s room, excited to tell her friend about standing up to A. Her excitement vanished, however, when she opened the door and discovered Hanna curled up in a ball on the floor, sobbing. Aria rushed over to her. She put a hand on Hanna’s shoulder, and Hanna flinched away violently.

                “Hanna? Han, what happened?” she asked, flicking on the flashlight, looking for any visible injuries. Hanna looked up at her, and when she did, her loose shirt shifted, revealing a deep scarlet burn on Hanna’s collar bone. Aria’s heart sunk at the painful looking wound. Aria had a similar looking burn, but this was much worse. For Hanna’s burn to be this bad, she had to have been shocked multiple times…

                “Aria?” Hanna whispered weakly, drawing Aria’s attention away from her injury. Aria nodded.

                “It’s me. It’s okay, Han, I’m here, it’s okay,” she whispered. Aria pulled Hanna into her lap and rocked her gently. She brushed a lock of hair from Hanna’s face, and the blonde flinched again.

                “I’m not going to hurt you,” Aria promised.

                “I know you won’t,” Hanna murmured, burying her face in Aria’s hair. Aria rubbed Hanna’s shoulder, trying to comfort her.

“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked softly, knowing the answer. As expected, Hanna shook her head.

“Please… Just hold me? Until you have to leave?” Hanna begged. Aria was even more worried than she had been before, but she also knew Hanna wouldn’t react well to being interrogated by her right now. Hanna gripped Aria tighter, and they stayed in that position, unmoving, until it was time for Aria to sneak back into her own room.

\--

                Aria returned to her room, but she didn’t sleep. She was increasingly worried about her friend, and her feelings were more confusing by the day. She liked boys… didn’t she? She’d loved Ezra, but she’d fallen out of love with him a long time ago. And she couldn’t deny the butterflies that appeared in her stomach every time she was close to Hanna. At the same time, she couldn’t help but notice that her blonde friend seemed to be getting more fragile by the day. Last night she’d been… so cold, so seemingly unconcerned about their friends and their situation. Aria knew it was just a front Hanna was putting up to protect her true feelings, but it worried her all the same. And then tonight… She’d been so scared, and A had hurt her, badly. Aria wished she could get Hanna to open up to her, but she knew she’d probably act the same way.

                She’d meant to tell Hanna about the hair dye incident, and she wished that she’d remembered. All other thoughts had rushed out of her mind at the sight of Hanna so upset, but that might have made her smile, at least a little bit. Or, of course, she might have told Aria that she was incredibly stupid to taunt A like that, and she should have just dyed her damn hair. Either way, it would have caused some sort of reaction. Aria’s eyes wandered over to the wall, where she’d thrown the hair dye, and instantly frowned. Though it was still stained pink, it looked like it had been cleaned up. She walked over to it and hesitantly reached a hand out. It was still wet. _Shit shit shit_. Someone had been in her room. She’d been gone for less than three minutes, and someone had been in here. They’d tried to clean the wall, but either weren’t able to, or didn’t have enough time. She froze as she realized what this meant.

                Someone knew Aria had been sneaking out of her room. And if they knew about that, they probably knew about Hanna. Was that why Hanna had been hurt so badly today?


	9. Day 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a warning, this chapter is pretty intense.

Day 8

 

                Hanna dragged her weary body back to bed. She’d just spent another day playing A’s terrible game. She’d realized something today, something terrible and wonderful at the same time. She was utterly and hopelessly in love with Aria Montgomery. It was wrong, she had a boyfriend, and Aria was her best friend, she couldn’t be in love with her. But she was. It had all started yesterday…

                _Hanna awoke, once again tied to a chair. In front of her was a table. She recognized it as the same place she’d been forced to choose which of her friends got food and water. Today, though, the switches were gone._

_“Who do you love more, me or Spencer?” a distorted voice asked. Hanna froze. This wasn’t the regular generic female voice that gave her orders. This was A._

_“Spencer,” she said in a strong voice. She didn’t know what the point of this game was, but she wouldn’t betray her friends. As soon as the words left her mouth, Hanna was hit with a bolt of electricity. She gritted her teeth together, and tried to think like Spencer or Mona. How many volts of electricity could the human body handle?_

_“Who do you love more, me or Emily?”_

_Hanna had barely recovered when the next question came. Knowing what would happen, Hanna took a deep breath and replied:_

_“Emily.” She immediately cried out in pain._

_“Who do you love more, me or Aria?”_

_“Aria.” Tears were streaming down her face now as her body contorted in pain._

_“Who do you lo—” The voice cut off. Hanna waited, and waited, and waited. At some point, she must have passed out or been drugged because she woke up on the floor of her room. She’d spent the rest of the night crying, even when Aria came to her room._

                That had been yesterday. Today, she had been forced to play the same game, and after three more rounds, she’d broken down.

                “Who do you love more, me or Emily?”

                “You,” Hanna whispered guiltily, squeezing her eyes shut. Emily’s scream projected from the speakers and Hanna dug her nails into the palm of her hand.

                “Who do you love more, me or Spencer?”

                “You.”

                Spencer screamed, and Hanna drew blood.

                “Who do you love more, me or Aria?” Hanna hesitated. She couldn’t do it.

                “Aria.” The shock that ripped through her body was worse than the previous.

                “Who do you love more, me or Aria?”

                “Aria.”

                Another shock, again worse than before. This went on for what felt like hours to Hanna, and each time she chose Aria.

\---

                Hanna slipped into Aria’s room later that night, each step causing her body to call out in protest. She’d considered not sneaking out tonight, but she didn’t want Aria to worry. She knew the small brunette was already worried about her, and if she didn’t show up it would only get worse. So she made her way to her best friend’s room despite the pain. She forgot all about the pain, though, at the sight that met her when she opened the door. Instead of being shrouded in darkness, there was some sort of lamp on.

                The room was a wreck, fake books and papers thrown around on the floor. There was a large pink splatter on the wall, and Aria was in bed, sobbing into her pillow.

                “Aria? Aria, what’s wrong?” Hanna asked worriedly, racing to her side. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she recognized that they had been in the same position last night, only reversed, and she realized just how terrified Aria must have been. She gasped when she saw her friend. Her hair was much shorter than it had been the previous night, and it was now dyed with pink streaks.

                Instead of answering, Aria launched herself into Hanna’s arms. The blonde tensed for a second as she tried to adjust to the pain. At the sound of Aria’s whimper, though, she recovered and hugged her tightly.

                “What happened?” she asked softly.

                “H-he left hair dye and I said I wasn’t his doll… I threw the bottle of dye at the wall… Then w-when I woke up this morning, my pillow was covered in hair,” Aria sobbed. Hanna stroked her hair, trying to calm her down. She hated seeing her so upset, and she hated the idea of leaving before she had stopped crying. She wondered if this was how Aria had felt the night before. _Of course not_ a voice in her head whispered. _She doesn’t love you the way you love her. She just wants a warm body to hold her and make her feel better. She doesn’t care who that is._

                “Th-then he made me dye my hair anyway! It was all for nothing!” she cried. Hanna kissed the top of Aria’s head. She was furious at A for what he’d done to Aria, but anger wouldn’t help Aria. Encouragement and support were what she needed right now.

                “No, baby. It wasn’t all for nothing. You stood up for yourself. That’s not nothing,” Hanna said reassuringly. Aria shrugged.

                “It was. He still got what he wanted, and chopped off my hair on top of it!” she argued, though her tears had stopped falling, Hanna noticed.

                “I know you probably don’t want to hear this, but your hair looks cute. When we get out of here, we’ll go to my hair stylist. She can touch up the ends. I bet you’d look amazing with a bob,” Hanna encouraged. Aria gave her a shaky smile.

                “Really? It’s cute?” she asked in a tiny voice. Hanna grinned and nodded.

                “Yeah, it’s cute. You’re adorable,” she admitted. Aria’s smile widened.

                “You should cut your hair, too. But don’t add the black streaks this time.”

                “You didn’t like them?” Hanna asked playfully. Aria blushed.

                “I mean, if you liked them and you want to get them again, you totally should, it’s your hair and obviously it’s up to you, I just think—”

                “Aria, it’s okay. I get what you mean. And, in case you’re wondering, I’m not planning on adding black streaks,” Hanna cut her off. Aria laughed nervously, then sighed.

                “You have to go back, don’t you?” she asked. Hanna wrinkled her nose in disgust.

                “Yeah, probably. I’ll see you tomorrow, though, okay?”

                Hanna hobbled back to her room, hoping Aria wouldn’t notice how much it pained her to walk. Aria frowned as she watched her friend leave, seeing the way the blonde limped slightly.

                Hanna’s hand was reaching for the doorknob when the lights came back on. She grabbed the knob, shaking and twisting it desperately, but it was too late. The door was locked.


	10. Day 9

Day 9

 

                Aria awoke the next morning with a feeling of unease. Granted, she’d been uneasy every morning since being kidnapped, and really since Mona had been “killed.” This was different, though. She could feel _in her bones_ that something was wrong. She glanced over at the battery operated lamp that had appeared yesterday morning and frowned at it. Part of her wanted to throw it at the wall, watch it shatter, but another part of her was comforted by the light. She didn’t know why A had seemingly given her a gift, but she was smart enough not to complain. It wasn’t a secret that she was afraid of the dark, which was why she had been relieved to find the flashlight. But that had been an accident. _Had it? Is anything in here an accident? Or does A just want to make it look like an accident, while he secretly controls everything._ A lamp, though… A had gone to the trouble of bringing Aria a lamp that wouldn’t go out with the generator. A horrible thought crossed her mind. She’d used the flashlight to examine Hanna for injuries… A knew they were visiting each other at night… What if he had given her the lamp so she could see exactly how badly he was hurting Hanna? The thought made her sick.

A sound came from the hallway, and Aria stiffened. She was pretty sure it was the middle of the morning. She occasionally heard footsteps, but this was louder. It sounded like a trolley being rolled or something. Then, to her immense surprise, a tray of food was pushed through a slot in the door. She rushed over to it, hardly believing her eyes. Two waffles smothered in syrup and a banana were on a plate, along with a cup of coffee. She took a tentative sip. Milk and sugar had been added, just the way she liked it. Aria closed her eyes and took another sip of the comforting drink.

                Her stomach growled, and Aria quickly began shoveling food in her mouth, afraid A might materialize at any second and steal it away from her. Unfortunately, she quickly realized that her eyes were bigger than her stomach, which had started cramping angrily. Her surprise—and unease—only grew when a new set of clothes was pushed into her room. It was the first time she’d been given new clothes since her shower. She changed quickly, relishing the feeling of clean clothing against her skin. She almost didn’t care if A was watching her.

                After letting her stomach calm down a little, Aria looked around the room. It was a mess, thanks to the fit she’d thrown yesterday. With her spirits slightly lifted from the breakfast and new clothes, she began cleaning up the room. Once finished, she sat down on the bed and looked around again. Much better. Her eyes fell on the pink stain, and a small grin crossed her face. She remembered how proud Hanna’s voice had been last night after hearing about Aria’s defiance, and Aria smiled to herself, making a decision. When Hanna had called her cute last night, her heart had swelled happily, and she’d realized that she needed to tell Hanna the truth. So, tonight was the night. She was going to tell Hanna how she felt about her. If Hanna rejected her, she’d be okay. It would be hard, but she would survive. But she couldn’t keep it bottled up anymore. Not here, not when the future was so uncertain. She had to tell her.

\--

                Aria was shaking with nerves by the time she reached Hanna’s door that night. When she opened the door and looked around, her knees buckled and she fell to the floor.

                Hanna wasn’t there.

                _Oh god oh god oh god._

                “Hanna?” she whispered, praying Hanna was hiding somewhere or in the bathroom or something.

                “Hanna?” she repeated, a little bit louder. Still no reply. Her hysteria growing, Aria tore through the room, looking for Hanna, but her search was fruitless. Aria remembered her discovery the other night, that someone had been in her room. Oh god. What if A caught Hanna? What if he had her now? Her stomach in knots, Aria sat on the edge of the bed, waiting until her time was up and she had to return to her room, praying Hanna would return. She never did. With a heavy heart, she returned to her own room.

\--

_“I didn’t even know you wanted to go to these types of schools. This is the kind of thing that takes planning,” Tom explained in a detached tone._

_“So what are you saying?” Hanna asked, already knowing the answer._

_“I’m saying $10,000. That’s what your mom and I agreed on. Kate starts Dartmouth in the fall and I cannot afford to put two kids through private school. Hanna, it comes down to dollars and cents, and I just don’t have it,” Tom said with a shrug._

_“You’re paying for Kate?” Hanna said, fighting back tears. She refused to cry in front of her father._

_“Hanna, Kate worked hard for this. She got early acceptance, and I have already promised Isabel that I will take care of it.”_

_“So Kate is going to Dartmouth and you’re paying, and you didn’t even ask me where I applied?”_

_“The last time we talked about college, you said you’d rather spend the money on a beach vacation and a good manicure.”_

_“The last time we talked about college I was twelve years old and obsessed with donuts! You’d never even heard of Kate!” Hanna exclaimed in outrage._

_“Hanna, I want to help, I just—”_

_“You just don’t want to disappoint the wrong daughter. I get it,” Hanna said icily, her eyes stinging with unshed tears._

_You just don’t want to disappoint the wrong daughter._

_You just don’t want to disappoint the wrong daughter._

_You just don’t want to disappoint the wrong daughter._

                “Shut up!” Hanna yelled, covering her ears with her hands.


	11. Day 10

Day 10

 

                Aria woke the next morning to another tray of breakfast. She stared at it angrily. Hanna was missing, and it was her fault. She’d been so wrapped up in being upset about her hair that she’d forgotten to warn Hanna that A knew they had been sneaking out, and now Hanna was being punished for it. But she was hungry, and who knew how long A’s kindness would last? Feeling guilty, Aria ate the food, hoping against all hope that Hanna was okay.

\--

                As it turned out, A’s kindness didn’t last very long. Aria woke up strapped to a chair, much like she had been earlier in the week. _How the hell does A keep moving me around without me knowing?_ In front of her was a screen. Aria gasped. The screen seemed to be attached to a camera of some sort, and it showed Hanna in what Aria assumed was “the hole”. She was crying, and there was a voice talking in the background. Aria leaned forward, trying to make out the voice.

                “Is this about Miranda?” Aria frowned, recognizing Hanna’s voice.

                “It’s not like that. She needs me,” Caleb argued.

                “God, I gave her to you! I’m so stupid!” Hanna cried, breaking Aria’s heart with her self-deprecating tone. Then the recording changed.

                “You’re the problem, Hanna! You’re always the problem!”

Aria froze at the sound of her own voice. On the screen, Hanna started crying harder, clasping her hands over her ears. Aria’s cruel words played on a loop, and she found herself fighting against her restraints. She needed to get out of here, to apologize to Hanna, and tell her that she never meant those horrible things. But think ropes kept her in place, and she only succeeded in hurting herself. She could feel blood on her wrists, but she didn’t care. The only thing she cared about was the sight of the girl she loved, stuck in a hole in the ground, shaking with sobs, while being forced to listen to the things that had hurt her the most.

\--

Officer Tanner and the entire Rosewood Police Department could have come barging into Aria’s room and she wouldn’t have been as surprised as she was to see Hanna.

“Hanna!” she exclaimed as the blonde girl stumbled in. “What are you doing in here?”

“What do you mean ‘what am I doing in here’? Why wouldn’t I be in here?” she asked, annoyed. Aria raised an eyebrow.

“Han… I don’t know exactly what happened, but I know what happened.”

Hanna’s shoulders slumped. She’d hoped Aria wouldn’t know about the hole.

“How?” she asked quietly.

“A made me watch a video of you… down there,” she explained. Hanna blushed. It was bad enough that Aria knew, but she’d _seen_ it?

“Did you… did you hear?” Hanna asked. Aria nodded, and Hanna closed her eyes.

“Han, I never… I never meant any of those things I said. And I am so sorry that I said them in the first place,” Aria said. Hanna gave her a sad smile.

                “I know, Aria. I know.”

                “Do you want to talk about it?” she asked. Hanna shook her head vehemently.

                “No. Never,” she vowed. Aria wasn’t surprised. She doubted that she’d want to talk about it if the situations were reversed.

                “You can’t come here anymore,” Aria announced. Hanna’s eyes widened, and filled with pain.

                “What? Why not?”

                “Because! A knows what we’re doing and he isn’t happy! I want you to stay safe,” Aria explained. Hanna scoffed.

                “Safe? None of us are safe in here.” Hanna laughed humorlessly. Aria sighed, and took Hanna’s hand in her own.

                “Exactly. So I want to do everything I can to make you as safe as I can. I know it doesn’t amount to much, but it’s better than nothing.”

                “No, it isn’t!” Hanna argued angrily. “I want to see you! A has taken everything from us. I’m not letting him take this too.”

                “I’ll come to you, then. But you stay put,” she ordered. Hanna narrowed her eyes.

                “So I’m supposed to just let you put yourself at risk while I sit on my hands?” Hanna snapped. Aria closed her eyes and took a deep breath, counting to five before she responded. She didn’t want to say anything that she’d regret later.

                “Han,”

                “No! Besides, it’s not up to you. It’s up to me. I’ll be more careful from now on, but I’m not going to stop,” she said adamantly, and Aria knew she wasn’t going to win.

                “Fine. Can we cuddle for a minute, then?” she asked. Hanna nodded.

                “Can I ask you something?” Aria asked. Hanna hesitated, noticing the nervousness in Aria’s voice.

                “Okay…”

“Is this what it felt like?” Aria asked.

                “Is this like what felt like?” Hanna asked sharply hoping she wasn’t asking about the hole again. 

                “Being in jail. I mean, I know you told us some things in the van, but did it feel like this? Was it better or worse?”

                Hanna thought carefully before answering, and, in an attempt to distract herself from what she was about to say, started rubbing circles around Aria’s swollen wrist. The smaller girl hadn’t told her what had happened, and she wasn’t about to ask. If she wanted to keep her secrets, she couldn’t expect Aria not to do the same.

                “Both, in different ways. There, I didn’t have to wonder if I was going to eat that day, or if I would pass out from dehydration. I knew that you, Emily, and Spencer were at least relatively safe. No one was hurting me the way A does here. God, I felt so alone when I was there. I would cry myself to sleep every night, I was so lonely. But that was nothing, nothing compared to how I felt last night. At least there were other people around there.”

                Aria frowned.

                “So where’s the other side of that? How could it possibly be better here?”

                Hanna smiled in the darkness, though she knew Aria couldn’t see it.

                “Because at least here, I get to spend time holding you, even if it is just for a few minutes a night.”

                Aria turned over to face the blonde. She’d nearly forgotten about her vow to tell Hanna how she felt, but maybe this confirmed that Hanna felt the same way. Now, with Hanna’s words, Aria couldn’t hold it in a second longer. Before she could change her mind, Aria leaned in and kissed Hanna.

 


	12. Day 11

Day 11

 

“Did you engage in a relationship with Ezra Fitz while you were underage?” the flight attendant voice asked. Aria took a shaky breath.

“Yes.”

“Did your actions cost him not one, but two jobs?”

“Yes.”

“Was your relationship with Ezra Fitz sexual?”

“Yes.”Aria knew she was effectively hammering the nails onto the coffin if A wanted to get Ezra in trouble, but she had no choice but to answer. She’d learned the consequences of not answering, and she didn’t know how much her small body could take. Better to save her refusals for more pressing questions.

“Did you kill Shana Fring?”

Aria opened her mouth, but words wouldn’t come out. A jolt of electricity ran through her body.

“Please answer the question.”

“I-it was an accident! She had a gun pointed at my best friends! I didn’t meant to kill her! I was just trying to save my friends!”

A considered her answer. It seemed she had stumped whoever was asking the questions, and the trajectory of their interrogation took a sudden turn.

“Who do you love more, Spencer Hastings or Hanna Marin?”

Aria’s jaw dropped. How was she supposed to answer that? It was like asking a parent to choose their favorite child. _Except you do know the answer. You do know who you love more. Hanna isn’t just your best friend. You’re in love with her. You love Spencer, but you’re in love with Hanna. You can’t let him hurt her._ Hoping A would just shock her, Aria refused to answer. She knew whoever she didn’t choose would suffer, and she was willing to take it for them. As expected, a shock tore through her body.

“Who do you love more, Spencer Hastings or Hanna Marin?” She hadn’t expected that. She’d refused to answer the first couple questions, before she’d realized it was going to continue until she answered _something_. But before, when she’d refused to answer she’d been shocked, and A had moved on to their next question. It seemed like A didn’t really care about her actual answer, he just wanted to make her share personal secrets. But at her refusal to answer again, she was also shocked again, and A repeated the question. Which meant he wasn’t going to stop until she eventually answered. Despite this realization, she decided to give it one more try.

“Who do you love more, Spencer Hastings or Hanna Marin?”

Feeling her body begin to give out from the pain, Aria whispered,

“Hanna Marin.”

\--

                “Why are you late? Are you okay? What’s wrong?” Hanna asked worriedly the second Aria limped into her room that night.

                “I’m fine. But I went to see Spencer, and she wasn’t in her room. You don’t think—”

                “You went to see Spencer?” Hanna interrupted. Aria nodded.

                “Yeah, I went to her room, but she wasn’t there. I’m worried about her. Do you think A took her?”

                “I should have known it didn’t mean anything,” Hanna muttered bitterly. Aria frowned.

                “What do you mean? You should have known that what didn’t mean anything?” she asked in confusion.

                “That kiss. You love Spencer. You always have. And why wouldn’t you? She’s beautiful and skinny and smart. And I’m just…” she trailed off, looking down at her lap. Aria used her thumb and forefinger to gently grip Hanna’s chin, forcing her to meet her eyes.

                “You’re right. Spencer _is_ beautiful, and skinny, and smart. And I do love her. She’s my best friend. But, Hanna, you are beautiful. You have an incredible figure. And look at how many colleges have accepted you. You have to know how smart you are. You’re Hanna. And listen to me, Hanna, I didn’t try to see Spencer because I love her.” She paused.

                “Then why did you?” Hanna urged. Aria sighed.

                “A made me play a game. It was… terrible. He kept asking me all these horribly personal, intrusive questions. And then… he made me choose between you and Spencer. I heard Spencer scream… I just wanted to make sure she was okay,” Aria explained. Hanna’s brow furrowed in confusion.

                “Why would Spencer scream when you chose her?” Hanna asked. Aria laughed humorlessly. Was Hanna really as blind as she seemed? Had she really started to believe she was somehow unlovable?

                “Because I didn’t choose her. I chose you, Hanna,” she said, caressing Hanna’s cheek. Tears shone in Hanna’s eyes.

                “You chose me? Why?”

                “Why? Because that kiss didn’t mean nothing! I-I love you, Hanna. I know you have a boyfriend, and you’re my best friend, but I can’t help it. I love you,” she admitted..

                “Don’t say that,” Hanna warned darkly.

                “What? Why not?”

                “Because A will hurt you!” she exclaimed. Aria sighed. Hanna’s protectiveness was one of the things she loved most about the blonde. She was the best person you could ever have on your side. She was fiercely loyal, and she refused to back down. Of course, these traits also had the ability to make Aria’s life harder.

                “Han, A’s going to hurt me whether I say I love you or not,” she said softly. Hanna opened her mouth to argue, and Aria put a finger against her lips.

                “Let me finish. A’s going to hurt me no matter what. We can’t stop that. And it doesn’t matter. A can hurt me all he wants. Nothing’s going to stop me from telling you how I feel.”

                Hanna smiled shakily.

                “Will you kiss me again?” she asked. Aria smiled back and pressed a soft kiss against Hanna’s lips. They were chapped, but it was the most amazing kiss Aria had ever had in her life.

                “I’ll see you tomorrow, Han,” she promised, her lips lingering near Hanna’s. She sighed, wishing she could spend the entire night in Hanna’s bed. But she had to get back to her room before the power came back on and she was locked out.

                “Hey Aria?” Hanna called before Aria could leave. Aria turned back, her eyebrow raised in question.

                “I love you too.”

 


	13. Day 12

Day 12

 

                Hanna was pretty sure she might be on cloud nine. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been this happy. Which was crazy, really, because she was being held captive by a sadistic stalker with a taste for electricity. She couldn’t help it, though. Aria loved her. Aria loved _her._ She felt a sharp pang of guilt, but quickly tried to push it away. She was cheating on Caleb. When her father had left them for Isabel, she had vowed that she would never do something like that, nor would she stay with someone who did that. But she could help feeling like this was different. She wasn’t married, she wasn’t leaving behind a child. She was trapped in this horrible place, and she’d given up hope of ever getting out. He’d never know what she had done with her childhood crush, because she was probably going to die in here.

                She still loved Caleb, but she was realizing that she loved Aria more. When they had been children, before they’d met Alison, Emily, or Spencer, they’d loved to play pretend wedding, and Hanna always made Aria be her groom. Maybe there was more to that than she’d ever realized. Besides, lately it had felt like she was just a kid that Caleb was taking care of. And maybe, just maybe there was a tiny part of her that she refused to acknowledge that blamed him for encouraging her to go to the police instead of running away.

\--

                “Hey, Ar?” Hanna whispered. She wasn’t sure why she whispered, the cameras were out, and there was no way for A to hear them. But she almost always whispered, and Aria tended to do the same thing.

                “Hmm?”

                “Hypothetically speaking, if I had been your girlfriend, and you found out that the police were putting out a warrant for my arrest, what would you have done?”

Aria turned over to face Hanna. It was the first time Hanna had spoken since entering the room. Aria didn’t mind the silence; she preferred to simply cuddle while they could. She was surprised by the blonde’s question, but tried not to show it.

“Hypothetically speaking?” she verified. Hanna nodded.

“I would have grabbed you and gotten the hell away from Rosewood,” she answered honestly, without hesitation. Hanna kissed Aria’s nose.

“I wouldn’t have gone, you know,” she said. Aria laughed.

“Of course you wouldn’t have, but I would have tried just the same.” They lapsed back into a comfortable silence.

“Hey, Han?” Aria said a few seconds later, mimicking Hanna’s earlier words.

“Yeah?”

“I’m really sorry I didn’t let Mike come forward when I found out what he knew.”

“Don’t be,” Hanna said sharply. “He’s just a kid. He didn’t need to be dragged into this mess.”

“He’s the same age we were when A started up. And he’s older than Ali was when she was first targeted,” Aria pointed out. “Besides, he chose to be dragged into this mess the second he agreed to keep Mona’s secret. What was he thinking?”

“He was thinking that the girl he loved was begging him to keep a secret. We’ve all made bad judgment calls, especially when it comes to people we love. I wouldn’t want Mike to be a target because of his.”

“But maybe I could have stopped all of this! We could have taken the tongue to the police—”

“What tongue?” Hanna interrupted.

“It’s a long story, but that’s the point! You don’t know these things because you’ve been _in jail_. If we had taken the tongue to the police, we would have had actual evidence of A. Mike could have explained that he acted so weirdly around Lesli because he was afraid she would blow Mona’s cover, and he was worried about her safety. Maybe Ali wouldn’t have been convicted, and we wouldn’t have been arrested, and we wouldn’t have been in that van, and A wouldn’t have kidnapped us! What if I could have prevented all of this?” Aria asked tearfully. Hanna stroked her cheek gently.

“I don’t blame you, Aria. There’s no guarantee that you could have prevented or stopped any of this. No one blames you.”

“Spencer and Emily might,” she whispered.

“How many times has Spencer protected Melissa, despite her all around shadiness? No one blames you. And if they do, they’ll have to answer to me,” she said confidently. Aria raised an eyebrow.

“Ooh, you’re scary.”

“Hey, I’m a hardened criminal. I might be scarier than Spencer now,” she joked. Aria laughed.

“No one is scarier than Spencer,” she stressed, prompting a laugh from Hanna. Aria found herself basking in the sound. Hanna had a beautiful laugh, and Aria realized that it had been too long since the blonde had really laughed. She vowed to do whatever she could to make Hanna laugh every day.

“You should probably go,” she said regretfully. The weight of Hanna’s previous punishment for being late hung over both their heads. Hanna sighed and kissed her. Before walking out the door, Hanna turned back.

“I don’t blame you, Aria. Not for being arrested, not for protecting Mike, not for anything. Try not to blame yourself.”

After Hanna left, Aria found herself thinking about Hanna’s earlier question. _If I had been your girlfriend, and you found out the police put a warrant out for my arrest, what would you have done?_ A somewhat irrational wave of hatred flared through Aria. What the hell had Caleb been thinking, encouraging Hanna to go to the police? He should have realized that A would pull the rug out from underneath them, making Hanna look crazy—or worse, like a liar. When it came to A, they couldn’t win. Caleb should know that by now, and he never should have talked Hanna into telling the police about A.

She hadn’t been lying when she’d told Hanna that she would have grabbed her and gotten out. But if that didn’t work (which, knowing Hanna’s stubbornness and loyalty, it wouldn’t have) she sure as hell wouldn’t have literally handed her over to the police.

She had failed to protect Hanna before, but she wouldn’t make that mistake again. 


	14. Day 13

Day 13

 

                Hanna was starving. She hadn’t been given food since being forced to purge. While she didn’t want to experience that again, she was weak with hunger and wondered how much longer she could make it. _Two weeks_ , a voice that sounded suspiciously like Spencer said in her head. She’d been given enough water to survive, but that was it. Not a single bite of food had been given to her in days. She’d passed out more than once over the last couple of days, and was growing more and more worried.

                Thankfully, A hadn’t bothered her since letting her out of the Hole. Despite her relief, she was concerned about her best friends. If A wasn’t messing with her, he was messing with one of her friends. _Just not Aria_. Hanna was instantly ashamed by the thought, but she couldn’t help it. Of course she didn’t want any of her friends to be hurt, but the idea of A harming Aria was more than she could handle. Aria was the only reason Hanna was surviving in here.

Not for the first time, she wondered if anyone was looking for them or if their families believed they were runaways. If she hadn’t been so weak, she would have snorted at the idea. Like four unarmed teenage girls in chains could win against two grown male cops with guns. But she wasn’t stupid; she knew what Tanner thought of her and her friends. She remembered what Spencer had said when they first woke up in that room. _He’s making us look like we’re dead so our parents would give up hope_. Had A sent out those photos? Did their families believe they were dead? And if they did, would that keep them from looking?

                By the time Aria slipped into her bedroom, Hanna was curled up, holding her stomach, almost crying from hunger. Her stomach was way past growling, and had moved on to screaming.

                “Hanna, what’s wrong?” Aria asked, rushing over to her in concern.

                “I’m hungry,” she whimpered.

                “When’s the last time you ate?” Aria asked with a frown. Hanna shrugged, and counted backwards, counting the days by what torture she’d been through.

                “Umm, a week ago, I think?” she answered weakly. Aria’s jaw dropped. Hanna hadn’t eaten in a week, and she’d been receiving food almost every day. She’d gone to bed every night with a grumbling stomach, but breakfast was almost always waiting for her. She recalled being forced to choose which of her friends was allowed to eat, and wondered with guilt if her friends had been choosing her.

                “I’ll bring you something as soon as I can,” Aria promised. Hanna shook her head.

                “No. I’ll be okay. I don’t want you getting in trouble for me,” she said. Aria smiled despite herself. Of course Hanna was worrying about someone else right now, when she should be worrying about herself. She pressed a gentle kiss to Hanna’s clammy forehead.

                “I don’t care. I’m not going to watch A starve you to death,” Aria said fiercely.

                “A won’t let me die,” she protested. Aria rolled her eyes.

                “I’m going to hide food for you, and you’re going to eat it. Understood?”

                “Understood. You’re amazing,” she whispered. Aria smiled and kissed Hanna again.

                “No, baby. You’re the amazing one. Anyone else would only be worried about themselves right now, but you still have the ability to worry about other people, even in here.”

                “So do you,” Hanna pointed out. Aria fought the urge to point out that she wasn’t the one being starved. Instead she just sighed and kissed Hanna. She felt gross, and she was sure Hanna felt the same way, but she didn’t care. When Hanna deepened the kiss, Aria melted against her, wishing she could stay all night. Unfortunately, like every other night, she had to leave long before she was ready to.

\--

                The next morning, Aria was once again given breakfast. She let out a sigh of relief. Despite knowing the cameras were off during those three minutes every night, she had worried A would somehow know about her plan and not give her food this morning. But if A knew anything, he wasn’t acting like it.

She wondered again if Emily or Spencer had chosen her, or if A was just being generous for some reason. She snorted. Like A knew what generous was. A small voice in her head whispered _he’s trying to tear you guys apart_. She shuddered, wondering where that thought had come from. Ignoring the fact that she was hearing voices in her head, and might be going crazy, she realized that this crazy side might be right. If they realized that some of them were starving while others were fed daily, they might start to turn on each other. But… If A’s plan was to make them turn on each other, then he must be intending for them to see each other again. The thought lifted her spirits slightly, but quickly shook away the thought. There was no point in getting her hopes up only for them to be dashed away.

                Picking up her plate, Aria went to sit on the floor next to the bed. Hopefully A wasn’t watching right now. She took a couple of bites in case A was watching before slipping a piece of toast and an apple under her bed. She could only pray that A wouldn’t take the food before Hanna visited that night. It didn’t matter what he did to her tomorrow, as long as he didn’t steal the food. Aria was terrified for her friend. Why hadn’t she noticed that the blonde had been growing weaker and weaker every day? Why hadn’t Hanna said something, let Aria know sooner? She could have done something before it got this bad! So Aria didn’t care what A did to her. He could punisher Aria however he wanted, she didn’t care right now. The only thing that mattered to her was making sure Hanna ate something.


	15. Day 14

Day 14

 

                When Hanna staggered into Aria’s room, she was so weak from hunger she could hardly walk. She collapsed halfway to Aria’s bed, falling to the unforgivingly hard floor. Aria was by her side in an instant, grabbing her hand. Hanna gave her hand a weak squeeze. Aria pushed a strand of dirty hair off of Hanna’s face.

                “Oh, god, are you okay?” she asked worriedly.

 Hanna only moaned in response. She’d never been this hungry in her life, including three summers at fat camp where she’d been so desperate she’d eaten her toothpaste. At the time, she’d thought that was the lowest she could get. Now she would happily lick toothpaste off the floor. This was it, she thought. She was going to die. She’d spent most of her life overeating, using food to numb her pain. Then, she’d disrespected food by throwing it up when she ate. Now, by some karmic twist of fate, she was going to die of starvation.

She felt Aria move away and she tried to reach for her, but her arms wouldn’t move. A pitiful sound came from behind her lips. Aria was back in an instant.

                “Shh, it’s okay. I’m right here,” Aria cooed softly. Hanna relaxed, letting Aria pull her into a sitting position. She had to lean against Aria to be able to stay up.

                “Here, it’s not much, but it’s something,” Aria said, offering her the bread and apple. Hanna shook her head, pushing away her friend’s hand.

                “No… He’ll hurt you,” Hanna argued.

                “I don’t care,” Aria replied simply.

                “He could hurt you badly,” Hanna said, recalling some of the things A had done to her. She shuddered, remembering her night spent in the Hole.

                “I. Don’t. Care,” Aria repeated.

                “Well I do,” Hanna said stubbornly, though her protests were weak and her body begged her to grab the food.

                “Hanna Victoria Marin, if you don’t start eating this food before I count to five, I will force feed you, and it probably will not be pleasant,” Aria threatened. Hanna sighed, but held out her hand. Aria gave her the bread, and Hanna took a small nibble. She moaned; bread had never tasted this good. She took another bite, and another, and another. Aria put a hand on her arm.

                “Slow down, babe. Don’t make yourself sick,” Aria cautioned. Hanna glared at her. She didn’t want to slow down, she wanted to stuff it in her mouth! Aria gave her the apple, and Hanna devoured it in thirty seconds flat.

                “Do you feel okay?” Aria asked. Hanna nodded.

                “Thank you,” she whispered. Aria kissed her.

                “You don’t need to thank me,” Aria said. Hanna smiled.

                “You called me babe,” she commented, remembering Aria’s earlier use of the pet name. Aria blushed.

                “Sorry. I guess it just slipped out.”

                “Don’t apologize! I like it,” Hanna said with a grin. Aria laughed lightly and kissed Hanna again.

                “You’re definitely scarier than Spencer, by the way,” Hanna said, recalling their conversation two nights ago. Aria laughed.

                “Of course I am. But don’t let her know that. She likes to think she’s the scary one.”

                Hanna rolled her eyes. Spencer liked to act big and tough and scary, but Aria was right. It was an act to make her feel safer.

                “Can you make it back to your room?” Aria asked.

                “Yeah, I think so. Could you just help me stand up?” she asked. The request nearly broke Aria’s heart. She knew it was probably killing Hanna to ask for help. She helped the blonde up and wrapped her in a hug.

                “I love you,” she whispered against Hanna’s shoulder.

                “Love you too.”

\--

                Minutes after Hanna left, Aria’s door opened and a masked figure appeared. It sprayed something from a bottle and Aria started to feel the room spinning. A second later, she hit the floor.

\--

                When Aria didn’t come to her room the next night, Hanna found herself only slightly concerned. She knew Aria had been feeling guilty about choosing Hanna over Spencer, and if god forbid A made her play that game again, she’d be feeling even worse. She’d probably gone to check up on Spencer or Emily. So, while she felt a little bit jealous, and more than a little bit guilty about being jealous, she wasn’t overly concerned.

                She thought back over the events of the day, perplexed by the strangeness of it all. She’d woken up to find two pieces of bread and a glass of water on her dresser. Even more surprisingly, there were no instructions to purge afterward. Hopefully this meant A had grown tired of starving her and moved on to someone else. Hanna clasped her hand over her mouth, though the words hadn’t been out loud. She hadn’t meant to think that, but she couldn’t control her thoughts! She was just so relieved to finally be given food… It wasn’t like she wanted any of her friends to starve!

                Another, more welcoming, thought occurred to her. Maybe A was finally giving her food because he didn’t want her to die, in which case he didn’t know what Aria had done yesterday. The thought was comforting. Even thought it might mean she would wake up to an empty dresser tomorrow, it meant Aria wasn’t being punished for helping her.

                Hanna sighed, realizing Aria wasn’t going to show up. She felt another sharp stab of jealousy, which of course was then followed by guilt. _You’ve seen her almost every night. If she wants to check in on Spencer or Emily, it’s okay. It’s nothing to be jealous about. Or… or she was tired of you._

                Hanna shook the thought from her mind. That was just A talking. After being forced to listen to her father’s rejection and recordings of Caleb leaving, it was inevitable that her repressed feelings of not being good enough would come to the surface. But those were just her own insecurities speaking. It didn’t mean that Aria didn’t really love her. Everything was okay. It had to be.


	16. Day 15

Day 15

 

                The first thing Aria noticed when she woke up was the darkness. Everything was pitch black. That second thing she noticed was that she couldn’t move. Horrified, she realized that her wrists and ankles had been bound tightly with something. She tried to scream, only to find that there was a strip of duct tape across her mouth. Aria was bombarded by memories of being on the ghost train She’d been in the exact same position, except there had been slivers of light on the ghost train. And a dead body. Aria felt her panic rising.

_Breathe, Aria. Don’t freak out. You’re being punished for helping Hanna, but this isn’t too bad._

                Despite her attempts to reassure herself, Aria couldn’t calm down. She had always disliked small spaces, and that dislike had blossomed into a full blown phobia after the ghost train. _At least there wasn’t a dead body next to her this time_ , she thought to herself. Nonetheless, she couldn’t stop the shaking that overtook her body.

\--

                Aria didn’t know how long she’d been in here. With no light anywhere, she had no way of knowing if the power had gone out. She could hear the blood rushing in her ears so loudly she couldn’t tell if she’d heard the generator go off. She wasn’t sure if she’d been in the box for minutes or for hours.

                Her stomach growled, but she didn’t even care. The hunger that was beginning to gnaw at her was nothing compared to what Hanna had gone through. Besides, she was more freaked out by the darkness and inability to move. How long would A leave in her in here? Until she died? _Don’t be stupid,_ she told herself, _Hanna will come over soon and find you._

                Not for two days, though, she realized. She was supposed to go to Hanna’s room tonight (was it tonight? Or had it been last night?) Even if Hanna was worried when she didn’t show up, she wouldn’t have time to check things out. She remembered Hanna’s jealousy the other night when she’d tried to visit Spencer, and a horrible thought occurred to her. What if Hanna got mad when she didn’t show up and decided not to come the following night? _That’s ridiculous. This is Hanna we’re talking about_. Still, she couldn’t get the thought out of her mind. What if she was left in here forever?

\--

                Despite her lingering annoyance at Aria not visiting her the previous night, there was never any question in Hanna’s mind that she would go see Aria tonight. She was perplexed to open the door and not see anyone. She was about to turn around and leave when she heard a muffled noise. Carefully, she walked around to the other side of the bed. There, on the floor, was a wooden coffin. Hanna’s breath caught.

                “Oh my god, Aria?” She immediately began pulling on the top, trying to get it open. She finally managed to get the top off, and Aria shot up, sobbing. Hanna’s eyes widened at the sight. There was a strip of duct tape across her mouth, and her hands and feet were also bound with the tape.

                “Hold still, baby,” she said softly, trying to remove the tape as gently as possible. The second her hands were free, Aria threw her arms around Hanna, crying into her shoulder.

                “I am so, so sorry, Aria. This is all my fault,” Hanna whispered. Aria shook her head, and wiped away her tears.

                “Don’t say that. It wasn’t your fault.”

                Hanna didn’t argue, knowing it would only upset Aria further, but she knew it was her fault.

                “Will you just hold me for a minute?” Aria asked. Hanna nodded, and helped her girlfriend into bed.

                “I’m scared, Hanna,” Aria whispered a few seconds later. Hanna sighed and kissed her softly, running her fingers through her hair.

                “I know baby. Do you remember when A put that note in my tooth?” Hanna asked. Aria nodded, though she wasn’t sure where Hanna was going with this.

                “Of course I do. Why?”

                “After that, I was so scared. So, so scared. I don’t think I’d ever been that scared in my life. I mean, A literally had me unconscious. He had his hands in my mouth. He could have done… anything. And all I wanted to do was curl up and hide. But do you know how I got through that?”

                “How?”

                “I told myself that it wouldn’t last forever. That someday, everything would be okay. I’d have a normal life, and I wouldn’t have to spend all of my time living in fear. And I _promised_ myself that I would not let A bring me down.”

                “How does that help us now? I’m pretty sure A has brought us down. We’re trapped in here, and we’re never going to get out. What’s the point?” Aria asked tearfully. Hanna sighed.

                 “We won’t be in here forever. And the point… The point is, we have each other. As long as we have each other, A hasn’t won,” Hanna said forcefully.

                “I wish you could stay here all night,” Aria whispered without thinking.

                “I could,” Hanna offered. Aria shook her head quickly.

                “Absolutely not. No way. You are not putting yourself in anymore danger because of me.”

                “That’s exactly what you did the other day,” Hanna pointed out.

                “That was different.”

                Hanna huffed, but didn’t argue. Not only would it not get her anywhere, but it would make Aria mad.

                “Fine. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She gave Aria a gentle kiss and returned to her room.

“Yeah, tomorrow.”  

Aria sighed, watching Hanna’s retreating figure. She was concerned about her friend (friend? Or girlfriend?). Her moods were all over the place. One minute she was convinced there was no hope left in the world, the next she was promising that they wouldn’t be here forever. She was worried that Hanna was putting on a brave face for her, but falling apart inside.

And the only thing she could do was sit and watch.


	17. Day 16

Day 16

               

                “Do you ever wonder what our lives would be like if Alison hadn’t come home?” Aria asked, running her fingers through Hanna’s still damp hair. A had finally allowed the blonde to take a lukewarm shower today, which had lifted her spirits greatly.

                “Sometimes,” Hanna said after a pause. This wasn’t a topic she really wanted to talk about during her precious moments with Aria. In fact, she would prefer not to talk at all, but decided that she could at least answer the question.

                “If we’d never looked for her, never found her, never begged her to come home… I can’t help but feel like we wouldn’t be here right now. Or what if we’d never accused her of killing Mona? We might all be at home right now,” Aria said softly. Hanna sighed. This was exactly the kind of conversation she hated—what if, what if, what if. It was in the past, and they couldn’t change it. So what point was there in talking about it? Still, it appeared that Aria wasn’t going to drop the topic, and the last thing Hanna wanted was to start a fight.

                “Ar, it didn’t matter what we did. We’re not in here because Ali came home, or because we accused her of killing Mona, or anything else that we did. We might have done a few… suspicious things, but in the end A was going to get what he wanted regardless of what we did,” Hanna said.

                “You’re probably right,” Aria said with a sigh. “I just… Every time I think things will be okay, every single time, something bad happens. I just want something good to happen. When will something good happen?”

                Hanna rubbed her eyes tiredly. A had been blasting various alarms over the speakers, preventing her from getting very much sleep. Every time she would start to drift off, a different alarm would sound.

                “Paige had the right idea getting out of Rosewood when she did,” Hanna finally muttered, not having an answer to Aria’s question. She figured it was rhetorical, anyway.

                “Yeah. A couldn’t follow all of us,” Aria pointed out.

                “I could be on a beach right now,” Hanna said, imaging the white sandy paradise. She pictured herself lying out in the sun, drink in her hand. She could practically taste the salty air.

                “I think I’d go to Europe. Maybe not Iceland again, but Germany or maybe Switzerland,” Aria mused. Hanna laughed.

                “You don’t speak German,” she reminded her. Aria shrugged.

                “I’d get by. Switzerland has the best chocolate, you know.” She paused, imagining herself strolling down the busy European streets.

                “I wouldn’t go, though,” she said after a few seconds. Hanna raised an eyebrow.

                “Why not?” she asked curiously. This was a fantasy, after all.

                “What fun would these things be if we were all alone? I’d rather be in hell with you than in paradise by myself,” Aria answered honestly, snuggling deeper into Hanna’s arms. The blonde burst into giggles.

                “What are you laughing at?” Aria asked indignantly. Hanna kissed her head.

                “You. That has got to be the corniest, most cliché thing I’ve ever heard in my entire life. Like, ever,” she laughed. Aria huffed, feigning annoyance.

                “It’s true!” she protested.

                “I know, I know. I’m sorry I laughed,” she said. Aria rolled her eyes.

                “You sound about as sincere as a Hallmark card,” she commented. Hanna frowned, not understanding the reference.

                “What does a Hallmark card have to do with any of this?” Hanna asked. Aria laughed at her confused tone.         

                “It’s a joke. You know, because people give Hallmark cards with some over the top and obviously insincere message instead of doing or saying something meaningful,” she explained.

                “That’s a little biased, don’t you think? I give Hallmark cards all the time! I practically wipe out the store at Christmas!” Hanna protested. Aria rolled her eyes.

                “I know you do.”

                “Well, what do you give people?” she asked. Aria shrugged.

                “Usually a homemade card. But if I’m really busy and don’t have time, I’ll buy a blank card and write my own message.”

                “I’m totally making fun of you in my head right now,” Hanna told her. Aria laughed.

                “Yeah, I know.”

                “If we ever get out of here, I’ll give whoever finds us a real card,” Hanna said.

                “ _When_ we get out of here, I’ll help you with that card,” she promised. Hanna shifted so she could look at Aria, though it was too dark to make out her features.

                “Run away with me,” she whispered.

                “What?” Aria asked in confusion. They’d tried escaping; it was pointless.

                “When we get out of here, run away with me,” Hanna said. Aria propped herself up.

                “What?” she repeated, unable to tell if the blonde was being serious.

                “You said that you wouldn’t leave because you didn’t want to be alone. So let’s run away together. Let’s just buy a pair of plane tickets and leave,” she said.

                “Where would we go?” Aria asked. Hanna shrugged.

                “Anywhere we want.”

                “You’re being serious,” Aria realized. Hanna nodded.

                “We can’t just… run away! We have to graduate and go to college and… We have families and you have a boyfriend,” Aria protested. Hanna shrugged again.

                “Screw college. And we’re never going to graduate, not after this. I’ll break up with Caleb. We can leave a note and take off.”

                “And how are we going to pay for all of this?” Aria asked, raising an eyebrow.

                “We’ll figure it out as we go,” Hanna said simply. Aria sighed, but decided to play along.

                “All right, where do you want to go?” she asked. Hanna considered.

                “Italy. We’ll travel all around Italy. We’ll go to Rome, and Venice, and Florence. You can check out all the art, and I can try all the pasta,” she said. Aria laughed.

                “Glad we know our priorities,” she said, sliding out of the bed. She pressed a quick goodnight kiss to Hanna’s lips.

                “Buonanotte, amore mio,” she whispered.


	18. Day 17

Day 17

 

                When Hanna woke up the next morning, she had a bad feeling. She wouldn’t be able to explain it if someone asked her, but she could tell something bad was going to happen. Maybe it was the shower she’d been allowed yesterday—it had been almost pleasant. The water had only been lukewarm, but that was much better than freezing or boiling. She’d been receiving food, not much, but it was better than before.

                She was worried about Aria. The brunette had been taking risks lately. Last night, Hanna didn’t realize until it was too late that Aria had only left fifteen seconds to return to her room. She could only pray that she had made it. It wouldn’t be so bad if Aria was taking risks because she was angry and acting out, like when she’d thrown the hair dye at the wall. Hanna understood that. What she didn’t understand was why Aria kept putting herself in harm’s way to help _her._ Okay, that was a lie. She did understand it; she did the exact same thing. But that didn’t mean she liked it. And it was making her worry that someday Aria would do something that would land her in big trouble with A.

                Hanna breathed a sigh of relief when she entered Aria’s room that night, and the brunette was sitting up waiting for her.

                “Hey there,” she whispered. Despite knowing A couldn’t hear them, Hanna had still taken to whispering.

                “Hey,” Aria whispered back. Hanna slid into bed and slipped her arm around Aria’s waist. Aria surprised her, though, by moving Hanna’s arm.

                “Are you hurt?” Aria asked. Hanna frowned.      

                “No, why?”

                Instead of answering, Aria climbed on top of Hanna and smashed their lips together. Hanna gasped in surprise, but welcomed the kiss.

                “I love you,” Hanna moaned against Aria’s mouth.

                “Shh, don’t talk,” Aria ordered, deepening the kiss. She slipped her hand underneath Hanna’s shirt, causing Hanna to shiver.

                “Ar, we should stop,” Hanna murmured. Aria ignored her, continuing to kiss her.

                “Do you want to stop?” Aria asked.

                “No, of course I don’t, but I need to get back to my room,” Hanna said. Aria moved down, kissing her neck.

                “Let me come with you,” Aria said. Hanna shook her head.

                “No. No way. You’re not getting in trouble for me!” Hanna argued. Aria ignored her, nipping her collarbone.

                “Why do we have to have this argument every night?” Aria asked. Hanna pulled Aria back up so she could kiss her.

                “Because I love you too much to let you get in trouble, and you won’t let me get in trouble,” Hanna pointed out.

                “You’ve been hurt enough! You should let me take the next hit,” Aria protested. Hanna winced at her choice of words.

                “Sorry. That might not have been the best choice of words,” Aria apologized.

                “No, it wasn’t. But I get what you meant, and no, you’re not going to put yourself in A’s path of wrath,” Hanna insisted. Aria rolled her eyes.

                “Now who’s saying stupid sounding things?” she mumbled.

                “What? It just rhymed!” Hanna exclaimed.

                “Why are we arguing right now? I really just want to kiss you,” Aria protested. Hanna kissed her.

                “I should probably go back now,” she said regretfully.

                “Stay,” Aria whispered. Hanna raised an eyebrow.

                “What?”

                “Stay. Let’s show A that he doesn’t get to win,” Aria said. Hanna considered Aria’s suggestion. On one hand, the last time she hadn’t made it back to her room, she’d gotten herself a ticket to the hole. On the other hand, the idea of staying with Aria was… wonderful. And the thought of pissing off A was exhilarating.

                “Okay. I’ll stay,” she agreed. Aria raised an eyebrow.

                “Really?”

                “Really,” Hanna confirmed. A grin spread across Aria’s face.

                “That gives me time to do this, then,” Aria said.

                “Do what?” Hanna asked. Aria pulled at the hem of Hanna’s shirt, and Hanna returned her grin.

                “May I?” Aria asked. Hanna nodded.

                “I need you, Ar,” she whispered. Aria pulled Hanna’s shirt off, then removed her own. Underneath her, Hanna slipped out of her pants.

                “Are you sure?” Aria asked.

                “Of course I’m sure. I love you. And… we might never get out of here, and A might kill us for breaking his rules. This might be our only chance,” Hanna pointed out.

                “Well that’s romantic,” Aria said sarcastically.

                “Can we afford to be romantic in here?”  Hanna asked. Aria considered her point. Just then, the power came back on.

                “No going back now,” Hanna whispered. Aria’s eyes widened.

                “Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. What have I done? I never should have asked you to stay in here. What was I thinking? Oh my god.” Aria started freaking out, and tears welled up in her eyes.

                “Aria, it’s okay. Calm down. You’re going to hyperventilate,” Hanna said worriedly, shaking Aria’s shoulders gently. Aria looked at her, her eyes wide with fear.

                “He’s not going to let this go, we’re going to be in so much trouble, _you’re_ going to be in so much trouble, and it’s all my fault,” Aria sobbed.

                “Aria! You’re being hysterical!” Hanna exclaimed.

                “Yeah, I am and you should be too!” Aria practically yelled. Hanna grabbed Aria’s wrists.

                “Aria, listen to me. I am in here because I want to be in here. You did not force me to stay. I made this decision, because I want to spend the night with my girlfriend,” Hanna said forcefully. Aria wiped her eyes, and managed to raise an eyebrow.

                “Your girlfriend?” she asked, hiccupping. Hanna nodded.

                “I hope so,” she said. Aria smiled at her.

                “Yeah. Your girlfriend,” Aria confirmed. Hanna grinned.

                “So are we going to finish what we started before A shows up to ruin everything or not?” Hanna asked. Aria grinned back.

                “Where were we?” Aria asked. Hanna slid her hand up Aria’s back and undid her bra strap.

                “I think we were right about here,” she whispered.

                “I think we were.”


	19. Day 18

Day 18

 

                When Aria woke up the next morning, she was filled with… she wasn’t actually sure what she was filled with. Regret would imply that she regretted what had happened, which she certainly didn’t. Dread? Fear? Excitement? She wasn’t sure. All she knew was Hanna was curled up in bed with her, her head resting on Aria’s shoulder. She frowned, noticing a laptop sitting on the dresser, next to two cups of water and two plates of food.

                “Han, wake up,” Aria whispered, shaking the blonde gently. Hanna moaned, and nuzzled Aria’s neck.

                “I don’t wanna,” she whined. Aria rolled her eyes.

                “Come on, Han. There’s breakfast, sweetie,” she said, trying to entice her. Hanna’s eyes popped open.

                “Seriously? A knows I’m in here and he’s just giving me breakfast?” Hanna asked incredulously. Aria shrugged.

                “Maybe he doesn’t care?” Aria suggested. Hanna scoffed.

                “Yeah, right. I’m sure that’s it,” she said sarcastically. Aria laughed, feeling more lighthearted than she had since being kidnapped.

                “Well, I don’t say no to food in here, so let’s eat,” Hanna said, getting out of bed to walk over to the dresser.

                “Oooh, pancakes! This smells amazing!” Hanna exclaimed, inhaling the sweet scent. Aria shook her head at her girlfriend’s antics and followed her over.

                “Mmm, these are good. I never would have thought A was a good cook,” Aria commented, taking a bite. Hanna raised an eyebrow.

                “He isn’t. These are from McDonald’s.”

                Aria’s jaw dropped.

                “They are? How do you know that?” she asked. Hanna shrugged.

                “When my parents were getting divorced, I practically lived on McDonald’s pancakes,” Hanna said.

                “Do you think you should go back to your room?” Aria asked after they’d finished eating. Hanna raised an eyebrow.

                “Trying to get rid of me?” she joked. Aria shook her head quickly.

                “No, no of course not! But who knows how long A’s generosity will last and…” she rambled. Hanna burst out laughing.

                “I was kidding, Aria. But the door is locked. I’m afraid you’re stuck with me until the power goes off tonight,” she said.

                “How sad for me,” Aria sighed. Hanna opened her mouth to reply, but didn’t get a chance.

                _“Please open the laptop.”_

                Hanna and Aria shared a worried look.

                “And here I thought A was going to leave us alone. Silly me,” Hanna muttered as Aria opened the laptop. A video popped up.

                _“Please press play.”_

                Aria pressed the play button. The video was dark, but there were two figures in a bed. Was this… had A sent them a porno?

                “What is this?” Aria whispered. Hanna gasped as she recognized the figures.

                “That’s us!”

                “Oh my god, A filmed us having sex?!” Aria shrieked. Hanna rolled her eyes.

                “Look, we’re covered up, Ar,” she said. Aria’s eyebrows shot up.

                “You’re okay with this?” she asked accusingly. Hanna shook her head.

                “Of course not. But A watched me take a shower, so I’m not too concerned about him watching me roll around under the sheets,” Hanna said.

                “Besides, we look pretty good, don’t you think?” Hanna asked. Aria laughed, shaking her head. A message popped up on the screen.

 _You might think you look good, but it looks like your boyfriend doesn’t agree_.

                “Your boyfriend doesn’t agree’? What’s that mean?” Aria asked. Hanna didn’t say anything. She was too busy watching the screen, which had changed to a video feed of Caleb… watching the video of Hanna and Aria.

                “Oh my god,” Hanna whispered. She watched as Caleb’s expression went from confused to shocked to horrified to furious. Her hand flew to her mouth as the camera zoomed in on a message that was attached to the video.

_Look what your girlfriend was up to before she went to jail. Even if you ever find her, do you still want her?_

                “Oh my god,” Hanna repeated, staring at the video. It had switched back to her and Aria. She realized in horror that the video was taking place in what appeared to be Aria’s room. In the dark, it was impossible to tell that Aria’s hair was cut and dyed. Which meant… it looked like she was over at Aria’s house hooking up with her back while she was dating Caleb. Except… Technically she still was dating Caleb.

                “He thinks I cheated on him,” Hanna whispered. Aria frowned.

                “Um, Han… Technically you are cheating on him,” Aria pointed out. Hanna glared at her.

                “I thought you were going to break up with him anyway,” she said weakly. Hanna continued to glare at her.

                “Am I just some bed warmer until we get out of here?” Aria asked angrily. Hanna sighed, and rubbed her temples.

                “Look, Aria. You are _not_ just a bed warmer. I was, _am_ , going to break up with him. But I don’t want him to think I cheated on him. Because I wouldn’t do that, I wouldn’t cheat on someone. What we’re doing here… I know I’m technically cheating on him. For me, when I really search myself, it doesn’t feel like an affair. For me… it feels like I’m coming home,” Hanna said seriously. Aria’s eyes filled with tears.

                “I’m sorry, I’ve turned into a crying mess in here,” Aria apologized, wiping her eyes. Hanna smiled warmly.

                “You don’t have to apologize,” Hanna said.

                “I’m sorry that A sent that video to Caleb, but I’m not sorry about what we did,” Aria said. Hanna’s eyes widened.

                “Wait, do you think I regret what we did?” Hanna asked. Aria shrugged.

                “I… I don’t know. Do you?” she asked, almost afraid of the answer. Hanna cupped Aria’s face between her hands.

                “I wish Caleb wasn’t being hurt by this. I wish I wasn’t cheating on him. I wish we hadn’t had our first time while A watched. But I don’t regret what we did. Not for a second, okay?” Hanna said, staring into Aria’s eyes. Aria nodded.

                “Okay. Okay,” she repeated shakily. Hanna smiled reassuringly.

                “Let’s just relax for now, okay?” Hanna suggested. Aria nodded. For the next several hours, the two girls cuddled in bed, not talking, just enjoying each other’s company. All too soon, the lights went out. For the first time since they’d been in there, Hanna wished she had longer before the power failed.

                “I should go back,” Hanna whispered. Aria kissed her.

                “I’ll come to your room tomorrow night, okay?”

                “I’ll be waiting.”

 


	20. Day 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The girls made fun of some traditional Icelandic dishes in this chapter. Obviously these are American girls, and I'm writing them with American tastes. If these happen to be your favorite foods, please don't be offended. There are lots of disgusting things Americans eat that I'm sure other countries make fun of!

                Day 19

 

Hanna should have known her good luck wouldn’t last. After several days of receiving food and being pretty much left alone, she should have known it would eventually come to an end. She just wished that day hadn’t been today.

_“Who do you love more, Spencer or Aria?”_

                “Aria,” she whispered. If it had been impossible for her to ever choose someone above Aria before, it was even more impossible now. After the previous night, Hanna knew she would do anything to protect her. She didn’t know what they were—girlfriends, lovers, friends with benefits—but that didn’t matter.

_“Who do you love more, Emily or Aria?”_

“Aria,” she repeated. She didn’t care how many times A shocked her, or starved her, or put her in the hole, she wasn’t going to let anything happen to Aria. Not if she could help it.

_“Who do you love more, yourself or Aria?”_

                “Aria.”

\--

                Hanna stumbled back into her bedroom and slid into bed. She was absolutely exhausted, and longed to see Aria. She didn’t know for sure how long A had kept her, but it felt like it had been hours. When the power went out only minutes after she returned, she realized that A had, in fact, kept her for hours.

                “Oh, Hanna,” Aria whispered when she saw the blonde. Hanna offered her a weak smile, but Aria saw right through it.

                “Scoot over,” she ordered. Hanna complied, and Aria climbed into bed and drew Hanna into her arms.

                “Tell me a story,” she demanded. Aria smiled, and tried to think of something to take Hanna’s mind off of her own pain. She remembered how much Hanna’s story about running away to Italy had comforted her, and she had an idea.

                “Okay, so you remember how my dad took a sabbatical and we lived in Iceland for a year?” Aria asked. Hanna nodded, though she hadn’t remembered which country the Montgomery family lived in.

                “Right. So we were in the capital, Reykjavík, and I was obsessed with learning everything about the culture that I could. We were _technically_ supposed to be being homeschooled, but Mom and Dad thought it was more important to explore the local culture, so they pretty much let us do what we wanted.”

                Hanna rolled her eyes. Despite Ella being a teacher, she could totally picture her encouraging Aria to explore instead of study.

                “Everyday I’d go to a different museum. The Living Art Museum and the Reykjavik Art Museum were the most popular art museums, but there were so many more. My favorites were The National Museum of Iceland and The Culture House. Some days I’d take tours, and sometimes I’d just walk around on my own for hours.”

                “You’re such a dork,” Hanna interrupted with a giggle. Aria kissed her nose.

                “If you keep interrupting, I’m not going to finish!” she laughed. Hanna made a show of zipping her lips and throwing away a fake key.

                “Anyway, those were my favorite places to go, but Mike was obsessed with The Settlement Exhibition, which focused on Vikings, and The Icelandic Phallological Museum, which well, explains itself,” she said, blushing. Hanna’s eyebrows shot up.

                “There’s an entire museum dedicated to _dicks_?” she asked in amazement. Aria laughed and nodded.

                “Yep. I found that one afternoon was more than enough time, but Mike was obsessed with it. Mom and Dad, meanwhile, were obsessed with making sure Mike and I tried _all_ the local foods. Which, for a vegetarian, was a bit tough.”

                “A lot of meat?” Hanna asked. Aria gave her a mock glare, and she guiltily shut her mouth.

                “Yes, a lot of meat. It seemed like every night Mom was making some new meat dish. I came home one night, and there was an actual lamb head on the table! I swear she made meat soup about fifty times that year because she thought she wasn’t making it right.”

                “Was she?” Hanna asked curiously.

                “Of course not. Have you met my mom? She’s not the greatest cook in the world, you know. So she accepted that I wasn’t going to eat meat, and didn’t argue too much about me eating side dishes only. But one night, she served something completely unidentifiable. Mike, being Mike, wolfed it down without a question, only to find out that it had been pickled ram testicles!”

                “Oh my god, that’s disgusting!” Hanna laughed. Aria nodded in agreement.

                “Was there anything you actually liked?” Hanna asked.

                “Of course. I eat fish, you know, and Iceland has some really good fish. There’s also this yogurt type thing that’s really delicious. I practically lived off of it. And don’t even get me started on these cookies that our neighbor brought over every Sunday!” she exclaimed, lost in the memory of cookies baked by her elderly neighbor.

                “Your neighbor made cookies for you? That’s so sweet!” Hanna said. Aria nodded, and smiled.

                “Yeah. Eva was this really sweet old lady. She didn’t work anymore, and her kids were grown up. Her husband had died a few years ago, and she lived alone. Mike would help her out around the apartment when she needed a light bulb changed or something fixed. She spoke really accented, but clear English, and she would help me with my Icelandic.”

                “Icelandic is a language?” Hanna asked curiously.

                “Yeah. What did you think they spoke in Iceland?” Aria asked. Hanna shrugged.

                “I don’t know! I’d never really thought about it,” she admitted. Aria rolled her eyes.

                “About six months after we moved back to Rosewood, we got a letter from Eva’s son. She had died,” Aria said, feeling sad at the memory of receiving the latter.

                “I’m sorry,” Hanna said softly. Aria shrugged.

                “It’s okay. She was really old, and she died in her sleep. It seems better, you know? To just… die suddenly, rather than see it coming. It just seems better.”

                Hanna agreed with her, but she really didn’t want to be talking about death, especially when it seemed like it could be right around the corner.

                “I guess I should go back now,” Aria said, kissing Hanna.

                “I’ll see you tomorrow,” Hanna whispered, watching Aria’s retreating form. She closed her eyes and fell asleep quickly, images of old ladies and cookies filling her dreams.


	21. Day 20

Day 20

                Aria Montgomery was frustrated, and as it often did, her frustration was turning into anger. A had hurt Hanna again, but left her alone. Obviously she didn’t want A to hurt her, but she felt like Hanna was getting the brunt of A’s torture and it wasn’t fair. The blonde tried to hide it, but Aria could see the pain in her movements, the hopelessness in her eyes, and she was worried that the bubbly girl she knew and loved was going to disappear. And there was nothing she could do to stop it. Instead, she was getting angrier and angrier every day.

                She was mad at A for keeping them locked up in here, and forcing them to hurt each other. She was mad at her friends for choosing to hurt Hanna instead of her. (She knew she was being irrational, she didn’t have any proof that her friends were trying to protect her at Hanna’s expense, but no one had ever called Aria rational.) She was mad at herself for not being able to do more to help, and she was mad at Hanna for being so goddamned brave about everything.

                At this point, she hated the police almost as much as she hated A. The Rosewood Police Department had always been useless, but this was a new level of being terrible. How could someone kidnap five girls—four of whom were taken _from a police van_ —and not be caught? Toby was on the police force; shouldn’t he be doing everything possible to find them? Shouldn’t Caleb be trying to hack A’s system to find them? Aria felt a small pang of guilt at the thought of Caleb. She’d always thought Caleb was good for Hanna, with the exception of when he left her for Ravenswood, only to come back and send her into a downward spiral of alcohol. She wasn’t as close to him as Emily or Spencer was, but she still considered him a friend, and she felt bad that he believed Hanna had cheated on him. _Hopefully he still cares about finding her._

                Aria shuddered, thinking about how hopeless Mona must have felt, knowing no one was looking for her. Or, they were looking for her; they were looking for her body. No one thought she could possibly be alive. At least their families were still looking for them… she hoped.

                Against her better judgment, she raised the question when Hanna came to her room that night.

                “Hey, Han?” she whispered.

                “Hmm?”

                “Do you think the police are still looking for us?” Aria asked, hesitation in her voice.

                “Of course they are,” Hanna said after a beat. Aria raised an eyebrow.

                “You don’t sound very confident,” she pointed out. Hanna sighed.

                “I didn’t say I think they’re going to find us. I said I think they’re still looking.”

                Aria felt herself growing annoyed with Hanna’s pessimism, even though she kind of agreed with what she’d said. So she did what she did best when she got annoyed: she pushed.

                “Why are you so sure they’re looking? They weren’t looking for Mona.”

                “Mona wasn’t considered a missing person. They thought she was dead,” Hanna said.

                “Well how do you know they don’t think we’re dead? A took those pictures of us,” Aria reminded her. Hanna shook her head.

                “If they thought we were dead, if they weren’t looking for us, A would let us know. Mona was forced to watch footage from her funeral. There’s no way A would just sit on information that would make us give up hope.”

                “You’ve already given up hope,” Aria accused. Hanna groaned.

                “Maybe I have. And maybe you should too. Spencer’s right, she’s always been right. The only thing hope does is breed eternal misery.”

                With that, Hanna got up and left. She didn’t kiss Aria on the way out, or even glance back at her. Aria glared at nothing in particular and crossed her arms across her chest, feeling even more frustrated and angry than before. She’d gotten what she wanted; she’d poked and prodded and needled Hanna until she got a reaction. It didn’t make her feel any better, though. It had only confirmed what she already knew. Hanna had given up hope of ever being rescued.

                If Hanna was right, and they should all just give up, why were they even bothering to follow A’s rules? What was stopping her from following Hanna and staying in her room until A physically forced her out?  What was stopping the four of them from just going into one room and staying together? What was stopping them from destroying everything in A’s dollhouse? Nothing. Nothing was stopping them.

                Except right now she was mad at Hanna. She was mad at Spencer, and Emily, and A, and the police, and her parents, and Toby, and Caleb, and most of all, she was mad at herself. So instead of running to Hanna’s room, she stayed in her own bed and continued to glare at the wall.


	22. Day 21

Day 21

 

                Hanna felt bad about storming out of Aria’s room the second she closed her own door. She wasn’t mad at her friend, and she knew that Aria would assume she was, but she just couldn’t take it anymore. She knew Aria was scared and wanted reassurance, but Hanna couldn’t find it in her to tell Aria that everything would be okay. Because she didn’t know if everything would be okay. She didn’t know if the police were actively looking for them. She didn’t know how long they’d been in here, or if the police thought there was any chance of finding them alive. She didn’t know if the police had any leads, or if they even cared. Maybe the police thought they had somehow escaped from the police van and were on a beach somewhere. She snorted at the thought. It was a nice idea, completely insane, and just the sort of thing the Rosewood PD might believe.

                She was half expecting Aria not to show up that night. It had been cruel of her to leave without saying goodnight or giving her a kiss, and Hanna wondered again why Aria had decided to fall in love with her. She knew there was all that crap about how you can’t help who you fall in love with, but Hanna couldn’t help but think Aria would have been better off if she’d fallen in love with Spencer or Emily. Well, maybe not Emily, Hanna thought, remembering the way Emily had dropped Paige at the first sign of Alison. But definitely Spencer. Spencer would be a great girlfriend for Aria.

                “Hanna?” a small voice whispered, pulling Hanna out of her self-loathing thoughts. She looked up and realized Aria had entered the room.

                “You came,” she said in amazement. Aria frowned.

                “Why wouldn’t I?” she asked. Hanna shrugged.

                “I was so terrible to you last night. I wouldn’t have blamed you if you never wanted to see me again,” Hanna said. Aria’s frown deepened.

                “Hanna, we had an argument. It happens. And I was pretty terrible too, so you don’t get all the blame, you know,” she joked lightly.

                “I walked out without kissing you,” Hanna said. Aria leaned in and pressed her lips against Hanna’s. Once, twice, three times.

                “Does that make up for it?” Aria asked. Hanna gave her a small smile and nodded.

                “I guess, but I still feel bad.”

                “Don’t. Couples fight sometimes,” Aria said. Hanna raised an eyebrow.

                “Couples? Is that what we are, a couple?” Hanna asked teasingly, though the question had been weighing on her mind. Aria blushed.

                “Well—I mean… Two people who make out and uh, do other stuff, you know… I didn’t mean to assume… but I just thought…” Aria stuttered. Hanna burst out laughing.

                “I’m just messing with you. Of course we’re a couple. I mean, we are if that’s what you want,” she corrected quickly. It was Aria’s turn to laugh.

                “Of course that’s what I want, silly,” Aria said, rolling her eyes. Hanna grinned happily.

                “I’ve never had a girlfriend before, you know,” Hanna said thoughtfully.

                “I guess I’m your first,” Aria joked suggestively. Hanna raised an eyebrow.

                “Don’t be cocky,” she warned. Aria kissed her nose, and Hanna sighed happily.

                “I wish you didn’t have to leave,” Hanna whispered. Aria paused. On one hand, Hanna had stayed with her one night, consequences be damned. On the other hand, she knew Hanna would never forgive herself if she asked Aria to stay and A did something. At the same time, she worried that she was trying to rationalize not putting herself at risk. She wasn’t as brave as Hanna, she knew that.

                “I’m not asking you to stay,” Hanna said, as if she could read Aria’s thoughts. Aria shook her head, making up her mind.

                “I know you’re not asking. I’m making this decision. I’m staying,” Aria announced. Hanna lit up, and Aria knew she was making the right decision.

                “A might do something to get revenge,” Hanna reminded her. Aria raised an eyebrow.

                “Yeah. But so what? I can handle it,” Aria said much more confidently than she felt. She’d decided that if she couldn’t be as brave as Hanna, she could at least pretend she was.

                “Do you want to make out?” Hanna asked, making Aria burst out laughing.

                “We could. Or we could talk,” Aria suggested. Hanna frowned.

                “Talk? What about?” she asked, remembering their disastrous “discussion” the previous night. Aria shrugged.

                “I don’t know… We could talk about things we don’t know about each other,” she said. Hanna raised an eyebrow.

                “We’ve been friends for years. What do we _not_ know about each other?” Hanna asked. Aria shrugged.

                “I don’t know. I’m sure there’s _something_ I don’t know about you,” she said. Hanna thought for a moment.

                “I have a better idea. Let’s play a game,” Hanna suggested.

                “Okay… What kind of game?” Aria asked.

                “You know, those games where you have to answer questions about your significant other,” Hanna explained. Aria raised her eyebrow.

                “Did you seriously just say ‘significant other’?” she asked. Hanna glared at her.

                “Are you seriously making fun of me?” she asked mockingly. Aria shook her head.

                “Of course not. All right, let’s play,” she agreed. Hanna grinned.

                “Okay, me first! I’ll start out easy. What’s my favorite color?” she asked. Aria thought for a second.

                “To wear, or in general?” Aria asked.

                “Both.”

                “To wear depends on the season. In general, pink,” Aria answered confidently. Hanna nodded.

                “Okay, my turn. What’s my favorite color?”

                “Trick question. Your favorite color changes constantly,” Hanna replied, just as confidently. Aria grinned, and nodded.

                “That was too easy, let’s make it harder. What’s my favorite movie ever?” Hanna asked.

                “ _The Devil Wears Prada_ ,” Aria said. Hanna shook her head.

                “I said favorite movie _ever_. I love _The Devil Wears Prada_ , but my favorite movie EVER is _Beauty and the Beast_ ,” she said.

                “I was almost right,” Aria grumbled. Hanna laughed, and kissed her.

                “We played your game, can we make out now?” Aria asked impatiently. Instead of answering, Hanna crashed their lips together. Aria guessed that was a yes.


	23. Day 22

Day 22

                When Aria woke up the next morning, she realized she was not in her own bed. Nor was she in Hanna’s bed. In fact, she wasn’t in a bed at all. She cursed as she realized she was in a position that she hadn’t been in for a while: she was strapped to A’s damn shock machine.

                “Good morning, Aria,” A greeted. He—or she—was using a voice changer, so she couldn’t tell who it was. She couldn’t even tell if the voice was male or female. Aria glared up at the camera. She couldn’t say that she was shocked—no pun intended—to be in this position; she had known she was risking punishment when she’d stayed in Hanna’s room. But she was curious as to how she’d ended up in here without waking up.

                “We’re going to play a game today,” A announced. Aria rolled her eyes.

                “Of course we are,” she mumbled under her breath.

                “Since you and Hanna have decided to enter into a relationship, we’re going to play a game to see how well you two know each other!”

                Aria shivered. A had heard them last night, and how he was using their relationship against him. She should have known A would do this…

                “I will ask you a question. If you answer correctly, we will move on to the next question. If you answer incorrectly, you will receive a shock. Are you ready?”

                “Whatever,” Aria mumbled, knowing A was going to do whatever he wanted.

                “I’ll start off easy on you. Who is Hanna’s favorite male singer?” A asked.

                “Justin Bieber,” Aria answered confidently.

                “Who is Hanna’s favorite female singer?”

                Aria thought for a few seconds, trying to think of who Hanna had mentioned recently.

                “Nicki Minaj?” she answered hesitantly. A shock tore through her body, and she gritted her teeth.

                “What is Hanna’s blood type?”

                Aria frowned. How the hell was she supposed to know Hanna’s blood type? How did A even know Hanna’s blood type? But of course A knew. A knew everything. She wracked her brain.

                “O positive?” she guessed. Another shock.

                “Hmm, maybe you don’t know your girlfriend as well as you thought you did,” A mused. Aria fought the urge to tell A what he could go do.

                “Where did Hanna get an internship?”

                “Vera Wang!” Aria answered, proud of herself for remembering that. She could picture the look of disgust on Hanna’s face when she told them she had turned it down because she wasn’t going to be paid.

                “When is Hanna’s birthday?”

                Aria frowned at the easy question. How bad a girlfriend—or even a friend, for that matter—did A think she was.

                “March 7th,” she answered.

                “Who was Hanna’s first kiss?” A asked, moving right along with his questions.

                “Sean?” Aria said, more a question than an answer. Another shock ripped through her. And another, and another, and another, as she continued to give wrong answers. The last thing she though before passing out was _Hanna deserves better_.

***

                When Hanna entered Aria’s room that night, the brunette was curled up despondently on her bed. Hanna rushed over to her girlfriend.

                “What’s wrong? What happened?” she asked worriedly. When she’d woken up that morning and found her bed empty, she’d freaked out. She’d spent the rest of the day pacing back and forth, worrying about Aria.

                “A made me play a game,” Aria whispered. Hanna pulled her into her arms, and Aria nuzzled her neck.

                “What kind of game, baby?” Hanna asked.

                “He made me answer questions about you,” she said.

                “What kind of questions?” Hanna asked, her heart sinking as she realized what Aria had earlier.

                “Your favorite singers, your favorite foods, your blood type. Stuff like that,” she said. Hanna frowned and kissed the top of Aria’s head.

                “I’m a terrible girlfriend,” Aria whispered. Hanna’s frown deepened.

                “What do you mean? Of course you’re not,” she said.   

                “No, I am! I lost the game! You’re my best friend and I don’t know anything about you!” Aria screeched.

                “What do you want to know?” Hanna asked calmly. Aria raised an eyebrow. This wasn’t the reaction she’d been expecting. Still, she decided to take the opportunity to ask her girlfriend about the things she had missed.

                “Who’s your favorite female singer?” Aria asked. Hanna thought for a few seconds.

                “I mean, it totally depends on the day. But I guess overall I’ve been to the most Katy Perry concerts, so maybe her?” she answered.

                “What’s your blood type?”

                “O negative. But how the hell would you know that?” Hanna wondered. Aria was starting to feel slightly better.

                “Who was your first kiss?” she asked. Hanna blushed.

                “Um… it was… Mike,” she admitted quietly. Aria burst out laughing.

                “I completely forgot about that!” she giggled. Hanna gave her a mock glare.

                “Okay, okay, move on,” she said.

                “What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?” Aria asked. Hanna had to think about it.

                “Chunky Monkey, but I never eat it because I hate the name,” Hanna confided in her. Aria definitely brightened with that answer. She had guessed the flavor Hanna was most likely to actually eat, not her secret guilty pleasure.

                “What’s your drink of choice?”

                “Like alcohol? Vodka, I guess. But my favorite coffee? If I’m being fancy, a soy latte with caramel,” she said.

                “What would you name a dog?” she asked. Hanna wrinkled her nose.

                “Dogs stink and make a mess all over the place. But when I was little, I had a stuffed animal, this little brown dog, that I named Dot. So Dot, I guess,” she said.

                “Are those the questions A asked you?” Hanna asked gently. Aria nodded.

                “Ar, don’t feel bad, please. Half of those things are things only a stalker would know. Which explains why A knows them. If it makes you feel better, I don’t think I could answer those about you.”

                “Try,” Aria urged, worried that A might make Hanna play the game too.

                “Um, okay. Uh… Enya, B positive, Noel Kahn, pistachio, white wine, decaf mocha with steamed milk, and Pookie, in that order,” Hanna said confidently. Aria burst out laughing.

                “You got ONE of those right,” Aria said. Hanna shrugged.

                “Do you feel better now?” Hanna asked. Aria nodded sheepishly, and Hanna grinned.

                “I’ll see you tomorrow, baby. Don’t feel  bad,” Hanna whispered, kissing Aria gently.


	24. Day 23

Day 23

 

                Hanna had been raised to believe that lying was wrong. Ashley had always told her that nothing was more important than the truth. Since A had come into her life, Hanna had realized that there were many situations where something was more important than the truth: when the truth would send her mom to jail, or implicate a friend for something they didn’t do, or put someone in danger. Still, she felt guilty any time she had to lie to Aria. Unfortunately, last night had been one of those times.

                She was sick of hurting Aria, and it seemed like that was all she had done lately. She’d upset Aria by walking out, and being so negative, and saying hope was useless. Then, Aria had been physically hurt by A, and emotionally manipulated into believing she wasn’t a good girlfriend. Which was ridiculous, obviously. There was no reason for Aria to know the things A had asked her. There was no reason for Hanna to know those things about Aria. But Hanna was more observant than people gave her credit for, and she’d always had a habit of cataloguing information about people. After all, you never knew when knowledge of someone’s blood type might come in useful.

                So she’d told Aria that she wouldn’t be able to answer A’s questions, and when Aria asked her to try, she’d lied. She knew that Aria’s favorite female singer was Norah Jones, her blood type was A negative, her first kiss had been Spencer during a game of Truth or Dare, her drink of choice was red wine, her favorite drink was a white chocolate mocha, and she would name a dog Emma, after the Jane Austin book. But she hadn’t said all of that, because it would either make Aria feel worse for not knowing those things about her, or it would make Aria think she was a crazy stalker. So she’d lied.

                When Aria came to her room that night, Hanna greeted her with a passionate kiss. Aria pulled back and raised an eyebrow.

                “Excited to see me?” Aria asked with a giggle. Hanna nodded.

                “I can’t wait to take you on a date,” Hanna said. If Aria had been surprised by Hanna’s welcome, she was shocked now.

                “Hanna, what are you talking about?” she asked slowly.

                “When we get out, I can’t wait to take you on a date,” Hanna repeated. Aria’s face lit up. Hanna was acting like she actually thought they were going to get out someday, which was a total one eighty from a couple days ago. She wasn’t sure what had caused this change in her girlfriend, but she was going to enjoy it while it lasted.

                “Oh? And where are we going to go on this date?” Aria asked. Hanna considered.

                “Hmm… Somewhere nice. Maybe somewhere you’ve never been. What about that vegan French Bistro in Philly?” Hanna suggested. Aria shook her head vehemently.

                “No way. Ezra was going to take me there one time, remember?”

                Hanna shook her head.

                “No, I don’t think you’ve ever told me about that.”

                “It was early on in our relationship. We were going to go on a date there, but A sent my dad a note, and he showed up there,” Aria said. Hanna’s eyes lit up in recognition.

                “Oh my god, I remember that. But he didn’t catch you guys, did he?” she asked. Aria shook her head.

                “No, but it’s turned me off that restaurant forever. What about that new Italian place?” she suggested. Hanna thought about it.

                “That sounds good. I would kill for a giant plate of spaghetti right now. Ooh, with giant meatballs!” Hanna’s mouth was practically watering at the thought.

                “Mmm, I could eat an entire basket of breadsticks by myself,” Aria added. Hanna rolled her eyes, knowing there was no way the tiny brunette would be able to eat six breadsticks by herself. But it was cute that she thought she could.

                “And after dinner—or before, if we want—we’ll go to a movie! We can even go to some artsy or foreign movie or something,” Hanna offered. Aria raised an eyebrow.

                “You would watch a foreign movie?” she asked, disbelief in her voice. Hanna shrugged.

                “No, but I would watch you watch a foreign movie,” she said. Aria’s heart swelled with love for her girlfriend.

                “Maybe they’re on their way right now,” Aria whispered. Hanna took a shaky breath, forcing down her pessimistic thoughts.

                “Maybe. Or maybe they’ll find us tomorrow.”

                “We’re going to get out of here, Hanna. We have to,” Aria insisted. Hanna kissed her gently, and cupped her face.

                “Of course we will. They’re going to find us. And… if they don’t, we’re going to find a way out. We’re not going to die in here. We’re going to get out,” she repeated. Aria nodded, and kissed her goodnight.

                They both knew Hanna didn’t believe what she was saying, but they both desperately wanted to. And maybe that would be enough, at least for now.


	25. Day 24

Day 24

               

                When a card appeared on Aria’s dresser with instructions to sign her name, she felt any hope she had disappear. She waited anxiously for Hanna to come to her room, wanting to know if the other girl had also signed a card. The second the blonde walked in, she pounced.

                “Did A make you sign a card this morning?” Aria asked. Hanna raised an eyebrow, and pecked her girlfriend on the cheek.

                “Well, hello to you to,” she said sarcastically. Aria rolled her eyes, and kissed Hanna back.

                “Sorry, hello. Did A make you sign a card?” she repeated. Hanna sat down on the bed and leaned against the pillows.

                “Yeah. A slipped it under my door this morning. You, Spencer, and Emily had already signed it,” she said. Aria frowned.

                “What do you think it means?” Aria asked. Hanna shrugged.

                “Isn’t it obvious?” Hanna asked. Aria shook her head.

                “A wants last doll. We’re not enough for him anymore. Or, it was always his plan,” Hanna said. Aria furrowed her eyebrows.

                “I don’t understand. What are you talking about? What’s his plan?” Aria asked in confusion. Hanna laughed humorlessly.

                “To kidnap Alison,” she explained. Aria’s eyebrows shot up.

                “Okay, I’ll admit that that makes sense, and I know A’s good, but he’s not _that_ good,” Aria said. Hanna shrugged.

                “He might be,” she said.

                “Alison’s in _prison_. You don’t honestly think A can just walk in there and walk back out with a convicted felon,” Aria argued.

                “Who knows? He took us from a police van. Is breaking someone out of jail really that big of a stretch?” she asked. Aria frowned.

                “I don’t know. There’s difference between a van with two officers and an entire prison full of them.”

                “Unless A has inside help,” Hanna whispered. Aria’s frown deepened.

                “You’re not suggesting Toby, are you?” Aria asked. Hanna’s eyes widened and she shook her head.

                “Of course not. Why would you even go there?” she asked. Aria shrugged.

                “I don’t know… I guess there’s just a part of me that wonders why Toby hasn’t found us yet. I know Toby is all ‘follow the rules’ lately, but I can’t imagine that he wouldn’t do everything possible to find Spencer,” Aria explained. Hanna grasped her hand and squeezed gently.

                “He is. I know he is. He and Caleb and our parents are all doing everything they can. They’re _going_ to find us. Maybe it would be a good thing if A kidnapped Ali…” she suggested.

                “You can’t be serious!” Aria exclaimed in disbelief.

                “I’m just saying, if Alison was kidnapped from prison, don’t you think the police might be a little bit more motivated to figure out what was going on?” she asked. Aria nodded.

                “That’s true. But what if you’re right, and A does have inside help? That helper could be misdirecting the police at every turn!”

                “Look, Ar, it’s not like we know for sure that A has inside help. Remember the last time we jumped to that conclusion?” she reminded her. Aria nodded, thinking about how convinced they had been that Holbrook and Alison were working together.

                “Yeah… You’re right. I’m just… I’m scared, Han. Why does A even want Alison?” Aria asked. Hanna sighed.

                “Why did A want any of us? Why did A want Mo—” Hanna stopped, as a thought occurred to her that made her blood run cold.

                “Hanna? What’s wrong?” Aria asked worriedly.

                “A took Mona as a stand in for Alison. What happens if A gets his hands on the real Alison? He won’t have any need to keep Mona…”

                Aria’s eyes widened as she realized what Hanna was saying.

                “Don’t think about that. Look, we’re just being paranoid. A made us sign that card to freak us out. He’s just messing with us, making us think he’s going to kidnap Alison. There’s no way he’s going to be able kidnap Ali from prison,” Aria reassured her. Hanna shook her head.

                “Maybe they wouldn’t have to kidnap her from prison. What if she was transferred too? What would stop A from just doing what he did with us?” Hanna asked.

                “Even if they did—or do—transfer Ali, it wouldn’t be the same. They’d be a hundred times more careful than they were with us. Think about it, they’re not going to make the same mistake twice.”

                “Maybe. I don’t know. I’m just really scared, Ar,” Hanna admitted in a whisper. Aria gave her a sad smile, and rubbed the back of her hand reassuringly.

                “It’s going to be okay. We’re all going to be okay, Mona too,” Aria promised.

                “You don’t know that. You don’t know if Mona’s even still alive,” Hanna pointed out. Aria shook her head.

                “I do know that, Hanna. I know that we’re all going to be okay because we have to be okay. There isn’t any other option,” Aria said forcefully. Hanna raised her eyebrow, surprised by her girlfriend’s ferocity. Unable to contain herself, Hanna smashed their lips together. Aria gasped in surprise, but quickly reciprocated, and pushed Hanna backwards on the bed.

                “I love you, Aria,” Hanna moaned against Aria’s mouth. Aria giggled and kissed her harder, her hands moving underneath the blonde’s shirt.

                “I love you too, baby,” Aria whispered. She straddled Hanna, and the blonde pulled Aria’s shirt off.

                “Han, we don’t have time,” Aria argued. Hanna grinned devilishly.          

                “I can be quick,” she promised. Aria raised an eyebrow, but didn’t argue when Hanna’s lips left her own and slowly moved downward.

                “Mmm, Han,” Aria moaned, her body shivering in pleasure. Abruptly, Hanna stopped.

                “ _Hanna_ ,” Aria whined. Hanna kissed her cheek.

                “Sorry, I have to get back to my room. I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said. Aria groaned.

                “Hanna! You’re leaving me dangling here!” she complained. Hanna laughed, and kissed her again.

                “We’ll finish this tomorrow night, okay? Patience is a virtue, you know,” she said with a wink before walking out the door. Aria huffed, and put her shirt back on. Her girlfriend was a total tease.


	26. Day 25

Day 25

 

                Aria didn’t waste any time rushing to Hanna’s room the next night. Her girlfriend had promised to finish what she’d started the previous night, and Aria had every intention of cashing in on that promise. All thoughts of sex were erased from her mind, however, when she walked into the room and found the blonde sobbing into her pillow.

                “Hanna?” she asked, hurrying over to her girlfriend. She sat down on the bed and pulled Hanna into her arms. Hanna threw her arms around Aria’s neck and continued sobbing into her shoulder. Perplexed, Aria rubbed Hanna’s back in what she hoped was a reassuring manner.

                “Hanna, what happened?” she asked worriedly. Hanna’s fingers clawed at Aria’s shirt, but she didn’t answer. Aria sighed, recognizing that she was never going to get a response while her girlfriend was so upset.

                “Do you remember when we were in sixth grade, and there was that giant snow storm?” Aria asked. Hanna didn’t say anything, but Aria could tell she was listening.

                “School was cancelled for a week because the storm was so bad. Any travel was advised against, but Alison wanted to have a big sleepover, and for some reason our parents agreed to let us. We had all just arrived at Alison’s house when the power went out. It was so cold so we built a giant blanket fort in Ali’s bedroom, and huddled inside to keep warm,” Aria reminisced.

                “We had one of those lanterns and Ali started telling ghost stories,” Hanna whispered. Aria smiled slightly, glad that she was starting to pull Hanna out of her shell.

                “Yeah. She told that one about the twins, remember?” Aria asked. Hanna nodded.

                “Yeah. That was her favorite, wasn’t it? I think she must have had about a hundred different versions of it,” Hanna said.

                “I never understood why she was so fascinated by those twin stories. They were so morbid and creepy, but she loved them,” Aria commented. Hanna shuddered.

                “I know. One time we were babysitting together and she told the kid the story about the girl that stabbed her twin in the heart and got sent away to an institution, but then escaped. The poor kid was so freaked out, I wanted to kill Alison,” Hanna said. Aria rolled her eyes.

                “Oh please. She just stole that plotline from the movie _Halloween_ and twisted it to fit her story,” Aria criticized. Hanna frowned.

                “Seriously? All these years I thought she made it up on her own!” Hanna exclaimed, sounding slightly disappointed. Aria raised an eyebrow.

                “You’ve seen _Halloween_ , haven’t you?” she asked. Hanna shook her head, and Aria’s eyes widened in shock.

                “How is that even possible? I thought you loved scary movies?” Aria questioned.

                “Yeah, if they were made in the last century!” she pointed out. Aria burst out laughing.

                “Do you want to tell me what happened?” she asked a few seconds later. Aria could almost feel the air in the room become heavier. Hanna sighed.

                “You know how we had to sign that card yesterday?” Hanna asked. Aria nodded.

                “Yeah. You said you were the last one to sign it,” Aria said. Hanna nodded.

                “Yeah. Well… I might not have written exactly what A wanted me to write…” Hanna said mysteriously. Aria raised an eyebrow.

                “What did you write?” she asked.

                “Um, well, I might have written ‘go to hell, A’ on it,” Hanna admitted. Aria gaped at her girlfriend. Part of her wanted to laugh at Hanna’s rebellion, but the other, larger part of her knew that the girl had paid for her disobedience.

                “Are you okay?” she asked softly. Hanna shrugged.

                “I will be. Besides, it was worth it,” she said. Aria rolled her eyes, remembering how proud of herself she’d been when she’d thrown the hair dye at the wall. She’d been punished for it, and forced to dye her hair anyway, but it had almost been… exhilarating to not follow A’s rules.

                “Don’t do it again, okay? I hate to see you so upset,” Aria said, running her fingers through Hanna’s hair. The blonde smiled, and pressed a kiss to Aria’s cheek.

                “I know it was stupid, but I couldn’t help it. It just seemed like the perfect opportunity fight back, you know?” Hanna asked. Aria nodded. She knew exactly what Hanna meant. It wasn’t often in here that they got the chance to do anything against A, and it was hard to blame Hanna for what she’d done.

                “I get it. But why didn’t you tell me last night? We were talking about the card and what it meant, and you never mentioned it,” Aria said. Hanna shrugged.

                “I don’t know… I wanted to tell you, but we started talking about Alison before I got the chance. And it didn’t seem particularly important,” she admitted. Aria frowned.

                “Why didn’t it seem important? It seems pretty important to me,” she argued. Hanna shrugged again.

                “I don’t know, okay? I guess I was afraid you’d get mad at me for doing something stupid,” she said in frustration. Aria raised an eyebrow.

                “So you knew it was stupid when you did it?” she asked. Hanna laughed humorlessly.

                “Of course I did. It’s not like I thought A would just let me get away with it. He’s not exactly known for being forgiving, is he?” she pointed out. Aria nodded.

                “Just so you know, I wouldn’t have gotten mad at you,” Aria said. Hanna gave her a small smile.

                “Yes, you would have,” Hanna said. Aria shook her head.

                “No, I wouldn’t have,” she argued. Hanna kissed her nose.

                “You would have, and I don’t blame you. If the situations were reversed, I’d be annoyed at you too.”

                “I never said I wouldn’t be annoyed, babe, I just said I wouldn’t be mad. There’s a difference,” Aria pointed out. Hanna laughed.

                “Okay, okay. Point taken,” Hanna relented. Aria grinned.

                “I have to go. I love you. Be careful!” she warned, kissing her gently. Hanna sighed.

                “You too,” she whispered to Aria’s retreating form.


	27. Day 26

Day 26

                “Do you want kids?” Aria asked randomly the next night. She and Hanna were curled up in Aria’s bed, savoring the time they had. Hanna propped herself up on her elbow and stared at Aria.

                “What?” she asked, wondering if she’d misheard.

                “Do you want kids? I mean, not right now obviously, but someday,” she clarified. Hanna nodded.

                “Yeah, someday, when I’m married. I want two girls and a boy,” she said. Aria raised an eyebrow.

                “You have it all planned out, huh?” she asked. Hanna nodded.

                “Of course. I want a girl first, then a boy a couple years later, and another girl a couple years after that,” she said.

                “That’s very specific,” Aria commented.

                “Well, obviously I want a girl. I don’t want her to be an only child like I was, but I’m afraid having two girls would create two much competition, like Spencer and Melissa. I think three kids would be a good number, you know?” she explained. Aria nodded.

                “Makes sense,” she agreed.

                “I have names too. Coco for the first girl, then George, and finally Audrey,” Hanna said dreamily. Aria’s eyes widened.

                “Audrey? Really?” she asked. Hanna nodded.

                “Yeah. Coco’s named after Coco Chanel, obviously; George is after Giorgio Armani; and Audrey after Audrey Hepburn,” she explained. Aria’s face lit up happily.

                “I want to name my daughter Audrey! She’s my favorite actress,” she said. Hanna grinned.

                “I guess we better have the same daughter, or people will think we copied each other,” she said with a wink. Aria’s eyes widened again at what Hanna was suggesting.

                “I’m kidding, Ar,” Hanna reassured, mistaking Aria’s expression. Aria shook her head.

                “No, no.  It’s okay. I’d be lucky to have children with you,” she said.

                “Really? You think I’d be a good mom?” she asked worriedly. Aria frowned.

                “Of course I do. You’ll be a great mom someday, no doubt about it,” she said. Hanna kissed her cheek.

                “Thanks. I’ve always wanted children, but I’m worried that I’ll make a terrible mom,” she admitted. Aria’s frown deepened.

                “Why would you think that?” she asked. Hanna shrugged.

                “I’m vain and self absorbed and self conscious and I had an eating disorder and I have a criminal record and I stole stuff—”

                Aria pressed a finger to her lips.

                “A, you’re rambling. B, half of those things aren’t even true,” she said. Hanna raised an eyebrow.

                “Seriously? Which of these do you think isn’t true?” she asked.

                “You’re not vain. You’re not self absorbed. You only have a criminal record because of A. And even the things that are true don’t mean you’ll be a bad mother. They’re just part of what makes you be you. And you are incredible,” she said seriously. Hanna’s eyes welled up with tears.

                “Don’t cry, baby,” Aria whispered, pressing gentle butterfly kisses to Hanna’s eyelids. The blonde smiled.

                “I just really love you, and I’m so sick of only being able to see you for three minutes every twenty-four hours. I don’t want three minutes. I want to be able to take you on a date, and have steamy make out sessions, and have sex without worrying about A watching! I want so much more than this,” Hanna said. Aria gave her a sad smile.

                “I know. I want that too,” she said.

                “How long can we keep doing this? How long can we handle being in here?” Hanna asked in a whisper. Aria sighed.

                “As long as we have to.”

                “I don’t know if I can,” Hanna whispered. Aria’s eyebrows knitted together.

                “Of course you can. You’re the strongest person I know, Hanna. I know this is hard, but you can do it,” Aria insisted. Hanna shook her head.

                “I don’t think I can. I can’t. I’m not as strong as you think I am,” she said. Aria cupped Hanna’s cheeks, and forced her to look at her.           

                “Yes, you can. And yes, you are. You’re the only thing that’s keeping me going, Han. So you can’t fall apart. You can handle this because you have to handle it,” Aria said firmly.

                “Really? I-I’m the only thing that’s keeping you going?” Hanna asked. Aria nodded.

                “Really. So hold on, okay? We’re going to get through this,” she promised. “And when we do get through this, we’ll go on dates, and make out, and have lots and lots of sex, okay?”

                Hanna laughed.

                “Okay. I’ll hold on. But I’m holding you to that promise, got it?” she said seriously. Aria giggled.

                “Don’t worry, I’ll keep it.”

                “I wonder what Spencer and Emily will think about us,” Hanna wondered aloud. Aria raised an eyebrow.

                “That’s what you’re worried about?” she asked. Hanna shrugged.

                “I don’t know. It’s just going to be weird, don’t you think? We’ll walk out of here, after supposedly not seeing each other for god knows how long, and bam! We’re a couple,” Hanna said. Aria nodded.

                “I guess that will be a bit weird. But I think they’ll be happy for us,” Aria said.

                “We could just start making out in front of them,” Hanna suggested, making Aria burst out laughing.

                “Sounds like a plan. I’ll see you tomorrow, babe,” she whispered. Hanna sighed, and got up.

                “With tongue, okay?” she said. Aria’s laughter followed Hanna down the hallway, and Hanna realized that she could do it. She’d hold on as long as she had to, for Aria.


	28. Day 27

Day 27

 

                Hanna had a plan. It wasn’t necessarily a good plan, she would admit it, but it was a plan. She’d promised Aria that she would hang on as long as she had to, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to try to speed things along. She was nervous about sharing her plan with Aria. Even though she knew the power was out during those three minutes, she was still worried that A would somehow hear her. But she needed to tell her the plan before they would be able to carry it out. If she waited until the night of to tell her, they wouldn’t have enough time. So she needed to tell Aria, and she needed to tell her tonight.

\--

Aria had hardly had a chance to greet her girlfriend, when the blonde strode over to her, pressed her hands to Aria’s shoulders, and pushed her back against the bed. She gasped, but didn’t protest when Hanna began to pull Aria’s shirt off.              

                “What are you doing?” she asked.

                “I need you. Now,” Hanna growled. Aria didn’t argue, and Hanna smashed their lips together. She shivered when Hanna’s lips left her mouth and began to trail down her neck. Aria tangled her fingers into her girlfriend’s messy blonde hair. She knew she was going to have a mark on her neck in the morning, but found that she didn’t mind.

                Aria wasn’t sure what had gotten into her girlfriend. Then, to her surprise, Hanna’s mouth was at her ear.

                “I need to talk to you,” Hanna whispered. Aria frowned.

                “What? Right now?” she asked. Hanna nodded.

                “Listen, I have a plan to get us out of here,” she said. Aria started laughing, causing Hanna to frown in annoyance.

                “What?” she asked. Aria raised an eyebrow.

                “Han, you’re crazy if you think you can—”

                “Shh! Don’t say it out loud,” Hanna warned. Aria sighed.

                “All right, all right. Go ahead and tell me,” she said.

                “Okay, so tomorrow night, we all meet in the hallway. When the power comes back on, we don’t go back to our rooms,” Hanna whispered.

                “Han, he’ll start playing that noise,” Aria pointed out.

                “So we deal with it! Look, A can’t be in two places at once, right? So we split up. One pair causes a distraction while the other goes to look for a phone,” she explained. Aria didn’t say anything.

                “I know it’s not necessarily the best plan in the world, but what else do we have? We can’t just keep sitting around doing nothing,” she continued. Aria sighed.

                “I didn’t say no, I’m just thinking,” Aria said. She had to admit, Hanna’s plan wasn’t _terrible_. It was true that A couldn’t be in two places at once, and if he was busy dealing with some of the girls, he couldn’t keep tabs on the others. And Hanna was right. There had to be a phone or _something_ they could find.

                “We need to find Mona too,” Aria whispered. Hanna’s eyes widened slightly, and she immediately smashed their lips together. Aria giggled when Hanna pulled away.

                “What was that for?” she asked.

                “For thinking about Mona,” Hanna said. Aria smiled.

                “Mona and I might not always see eye to eye, and she’s done some bad things, but we can’t just leave her. She should be part of our plan,” Aria said. Hanna kissed her again.

                “I love you so much, Ar.”

                “There’s one part of your plan that I have a problem with, though,” Aria said. Hanna frowned.

                “What?” she asked. Aria gave her a look, and she knew exactly what Aria had a problem with.

                “The pair that does something to distract A. That puts two of us in danger of A’s wrath,” she said. Hanna sighed.

                “I know. And I’m willing to be one of those people. We have to get out of here. I trust you to find a phone while I’m busy distracting A,” she said.

                “What about Spencer and Emily?” she asked.

                “Maybe Emily with me and Spencer with you?” Hanna suggested. Aria nodded.

                “When do we do it?” Aria asked. Hanna bit her lip in concentration.

                “I don’t know. Not tomorrow. I think we need to talk about it more tomorrow night,” Hanna said.

                “Okay. That’s a good idea. Han, I think this might work,” Aria said. Hanna grinned.

                “Well, occasionally I come up with a good idea,” she joked. Aria giggled, and kissed her girlfriend’s nose.

                “We’re going to get out of here. One way or another. You’re a genius, Hanna,” Aria said. Hanna’s grin widened at the compliment.

                “I’ll see you tomorrow night,” Hanna said. With a parting kiss, Hanna left the room.

                For the first time since being kidnapped, both girls felt hopeful that they might actually escape.  


	29. Day 28

Day 28

 

                “So let’s go over this again,” Aria ordered the second she walked through Hanna’s door. Hanna quickly put a finger to her lips in a shushing motion. Aria rolled her eyes.

                “Sorry, sorry. I forgot it’s all top secret,” she joked. Hanna raised an angry eyebrow and crossed her arms.

                “Is this a joke to you?” she demanded. Aria shook her head, and sat down next to her girlfriend. She rubbed Hanna’s arm reassuringly, noticing the goose bumps that popped up at her touch.

                “Of course it isn’t, sweetie. But A can’t hear us right now,” Aria said softly. Hanna shook her head.

                “You don’t know that. You can’t be sure. And we can’t risk him hearing us,” Hanna insisted in a whisper. Aria sighed and kissed her girlfriend’s cheek.

                “Of course. You’re right. So let’s go over it again. I thought over your plan, and I think we can be out in a couple of nights,” Aria whispered.

                “Go on,” Hanna said.

                “So I figure we need to talk to Spencer and Emily and fill them in before we go through with it. I thought tomorrow night I could go talk to Spencer and you could talk to Emily, if that’s all right with you,” Aria suggested. Hanna nodded in agreement.

                “Do you think they’ll agree to it?” Hanna asked.

                “Why wouldn’t they? What else can we do? We have to try something, and this might be our only hope. They’ll understand that,” Aria said.

                “You know, I was thinking, and I realized it might be a good thing if A turns on those sirens,” Hanna said. Aria frowned.

                “What do you mean? How could that be a good thing? Those sirens will drive us crazy,” she reminded Hanna. The blonde nodded.

                “Yeah, but think about it. We’re in the middle of nowhere. Let’s say we find a phone and call someone. They’ll—hopefully—be able to trace the call. So then what? They show up, see nothing, and leave. If there are sirens blasting, maybe they’ll be able to hear them and they’ll find us,” Hanna pointed out. Aria considered her girlfriend’s words.

                “Good point. Are you sure you and Spencer will be okay distracting A while Emily and I look for Mona and a phone?” she asked.

                “Of course we’ll be okay,” she said with more confidence than she felt. Aria sighed.

                “If we don’t do this right… If we don’t find a phone or a computer and make contact with someone…” she trailed off, and Hanna gripped her hand.

                “I know. And I know this was my plan, but I’m scared,” Hanna admitted.

                “He might kill us,” Aria whispered. Hanna laid her head on Aria’s shoulder and kissed her neck.

                “He won’t kill us. He worked too hard to get us,” she said. Aria swallowed thickly.

                “We’ll be punished. Spencer and Emily, too. If we don’t  get out of here, A might find a way to separate us. For good,” Aria said. Hanna sighed.

                “What are you saying, Aria? Do you want to just keep going the way we’re going? Spend our days completely at A’s mercy, and spend two and a half minutes together at night? I haven’t showered in over a week! I’m disgusting!” Hanna argued. Aria rubbed her eyes tiredly.

                “No, I’m not saying that. And you’re not disgusting,” she said. Hanna raised an eyebrow.

                “Okay, well, you’re no more disgusting than I am. And you’re right. I know we need to try. I’m just… I’m selfish, Han. I’d rather see you for a couple minutes a night than never see you at all,” she admitted. Hanna sighed again.

                “I know. But Ar, a couple of minutes a night isn’t enough. I want more than that. I want more with you. I want to see my mom, and go on dates with you, and graduate from high school, and go to college. I want my friends back. I can’t live like this,” Hanna said.

                “But what if we end up with nothing?” Aria asked. Hanna brushed her fingers against her girlfriend’s cheek.

                “Oh, sweetie, I know. But listen to me. You’re right. We can’t end up with nothing. So we’re just going to have to do this right, okay?” she said. Aria gave her a shaky smile.

                “Okay. You’re right. What if we don’t find a phone, though? What if we only find a computer? And what if it’s locked?” Aria asked.

                “Easy. That’s why you’re finding Mona first. If you find a locked computer, Mona can hack it. You guys can send an email to someone. Lots of someones, actually. If you have to send an email, send it to everyone. Caleb, Ezra, my mom, your parents, Toby, Spencer’s parents, Emily’s parents, the police department, everyone,” Hanna said.

                “Who should we call if we find a phone?” Aria asked.

                “Caleb,” Hanna said without hesitation. Aria frowned.

                “Are you sure? He saw that video, remember?” she asked. Hanna nodded, guilt flooding her.

                “I know. And I know that it hurt him, and he’s probably angry. But this is Caleb we’re talking about. It doesn’t matter what he thinks I did or didn’t do. He won’t just turn away from us. And he might be the only one who can track us down. Maybe just have Emily be the one to actually call him, since he’s probably pretty mad at you,” Hanna said.

                “Probably a good idea,” Aria agreed, feeling bad. She and Caleb hadn’t been close, but everyone knew how much he loved Hanna. For the first time, she wondered if she had done the right thing, hooking up with Hanna while she still had a boyfriend.

                “I’ll never regret what we did. I choose you, Aria,” Hanna whispered, as if reading Aria’s mind. The brunette smiled, then frowned.

                “I guess we’re not going to see each other tomorrow night,” she realized. Hanna’s eyes widened, and she nodded.

                “I guess you’re right. Tell Spencer I love her, okay? This will all be over in a couple of days,” Hanna said. Aria kissed her gently.

                “I love you. Be careful.”


	30. Day 29

Day 29

 

                Hanna was lying in her bed, trying to get some sleep before she went to talk to Emily when the strangest thing happened. A loud noise came out of nowhere, and the door opened. Hanna shot up, her entire body tensing, but no one walked in. Curiosity got the better of her, and she took a tentative step toward the door. She poked her head into the hallway, and was surprised to see three other open doors. Across the hall, her eyes met Aria’s, and she gave her girlfriend a questioning look. The petite brunette shrugged. A second later, Spencer emerged from her room, followed by Emily a few doors down. Hanna took a deep breath and joined her friends.

                “What’s going on?” Emily asked, wrapping her arms around herself. Hanna looked over her Emily and Spencer. She didn’t even know how long it had been since she’d seen them. Emily’s hair looked dull and Spencer had lost weight, but neither was visibly injured.

                _“Please follow the lighted passageway,”_ A ordered. Hanna groaned.

                “Not this shit again,” she muttered under her breath, making Aria laugh.

                “Let’s just do what he says,” Emily suggested. They began to walk down the hallway, and Aria slipped her hand into Hanna’s.

                “Do you think we should tell them?” Aria whispered. Hanna glanced at the other girls and shrugged.

                “I don’t know. Maybe we should wait,” she whispered back.

                “What are you two whispering about?” Spencer asked. Before they could answer, the lighted path stopped, right in front of a door.

                “Should we go in?” Aria asked. Hanna nodded, and they followed her into the room. Aria flipped on the light, and all four girls gasped. It was an exact replica of Alison’s room. On the floor were ten or fifteen boxes. Noticing a piece of paper on the dresser, Hanna went over and picked it up.

                “I hope you won’t mind getting my room ready for me. I’ll be here any day, and I’d appreciate it being ready! Thanks, Alison,” Hanna read aloud from the note.

                “Wait, she’ll be here any day?” Spencer asked. Hanna shrugged.

                “That’s what the note says. But guys, this is weird. The note is _in_ Ali’s handwriting,” she said.

                “Yeah, but we already know that A is good at forging signatures and faking handwriting,” Aria pointed out. She walked over to one of the boxes and opened it. It was filled with clothes.

                “Wait, you aren’t seriously thinking about unpacking her stuff, are you?” Spencer asked. Aria threw her hands in the air.

                “What are we supposed to do? Ignore A’s orders? He’s either going to get Ali or he isn’t, it won’t depend on whether or not we unpack her stuff,” Aria argued.

                “That doesn’t mean we should encourage it!” Spencer shot back.

                “Aria and I are dating,” Hanna announced. Three heads spun in her direction.

                “Hanna!”

                “ _What_?”

                “Since when?”

                A chorus of voices ran through the room. Hanna smiled smugly.

                “I don’t know. For a while,” she said. Spencer raised an eyebrow.

                “And when exactly have you guys been seeing each other?” Emily asked. Aria blushed.

                “At night. When the generator shuts down,” she said.

                “Okay… I guess we’re happy for you?” Emily said, though it sounded more like a question.

                “Spence, could you come help me with this? And Em, you should go help Hanna,” Aria suggested. Hanna immediately caught on to what she was hinting at. Spencer and Emily both looked put out by Aria ordering them around, but neither argued.

                Hanna and Emily began unpacking a box of shirts, and putting them in the dresser. Hanna leaned close to Emily and whispered,

                “Don’t react, okay? Just listen to what I’m saying. Aria and I have a plan.”

                Emily picked up another shirt and placed in the dresser, her expression remaining neutral, as Hanna continued to explain the plan. On the other side of the room, Aria was doing the same thing with Spencer.

                “Oh my god,” Spencer gasped and waved Aria over to the closet. Aria’s eyes widened when she saw what Spencer was pointing to. Carved into the wall of the closet was ‘He’s going to kill me, —M.’  

                “I think we need to try your plan as soon as possible,” Spencer whispered. Aria nodded wordlessly, her eyes glued to the wall.

                “Guys, what are you doing? You haven’t even gotten through a single box yet,” Emily chastised. Aria rolled her eyes.

                “Well how many have you two gotten through?” she asked.

                “Three,” Hanna said smugly.

                “Good for you,” Aria muttered. Hanna walked over to her girlfriend and planted a kiss on the cheek.

                “It’s okay, baby. You go as slow as you need—what’s that?” she asked, noticing the words in the closet.

                “We don’t know, but it doesn’t seem like anything good,” Spencer admitted. Aria squeezed Hanna’s arm gently, knowing the words would upset her.

                “You don’t think she’s…” Hanna trailed off. Aria shook her head.

                “Don’t think like that,” she said, before leaning in close enough to whisper into Hanna’s ear. “We’re getting out tomorrow night. We’ll find Mona, we’ll find a phone, and we’ll find a way to get the hell out of here.”

                Hanna nodded, and went back over to whisper the update to Emily, who agreed that they needed to try the following night.

                _“Please return to your rooms,”_ A announced a few minutes later.

Hanna wrapped her arms around Aria and kissed her gently. The four girls shared reassuring looks with each other before heading back to their separate rooms.

One way or another, everything was going to end tomorrow night.


	31. Day 30

Day 30

 

_“Mom? Where am I? Where’s Aria?” Hanna asked frantically. She was in a bed, attached to tubes and wires. Ashley reached out and took her daughter’s hand._

_“You’re in the hospital. Aria’s fine. Let me tell the doctor you’re awake and then I’ll go get Aria, okay?”_

 

Three hours earlier

The second the power went out, the four girls met in the hallway. Each girl had a nervous look on her face, but they were all determined. Aria gave Hanna and Emily quick hugs.

                “Be careful, okay?” she said. Hanna nodded, but it didn’t do much to reassure her girlfriend.

                “Find Mona, find a phone. We’ll keep A away, okay?” Hanna reminded them. Spencer and Aria nodded.

                “We’ll see you soon,” Spencer promised. After saying a quick goodbye, the girls separated.

\---

                “So you and Hanna, huh?” Spencer asked. She and Aria had been walking down the hall, opening every door they came across. Fortunately—or unfortunately, depending on how you looked at it—they’d only come across three doors. And Mona hadn’t been in any of them.

                “Yeah. I know it’s a surprise, but I think it’s right. What if we don’t find her before the power comes back on?” she asked. Spencer shrugged.

                “We keep looking. If Emily and Hanna are distracting A, we have to keep our end of the deal. Which means finding Mona and calling for help. And I’m happy for you guys, of course. It’s just a bit of a surprise. How are you two even able to see each other?”

                “You can get a lot done in three minutes,” Aria said suggestively. Spencer laughed, and opened another door. Still no Mona.

                “Wait,” Aria said. Spencer stopped.

                “Look, there’s a hole in the floor,” she pointed out. Spencer frowned, annoyed with herself for not noticing it. Hesitantly, they tiptoed to the hole. Aria gasped. A small figure at the bottom of hole looked up.

                “Aria? Spencer?” Mona called weakly.

                “How do we get her out?” Aria asked. Spencer looked around, and let out a sigh of relief when she saw a ladder. She pulled it over and lowered it down into the hole.

                “Can you climb out on your own?” Spencer asked. Mona nodded.

                “I think so,” she said. A minute later, she was out.

                “How did you find me?” she asked. Spencer and Aria explained the plan, quickly ushering Mona out of thee room before they got locked in.

                “Do you have any idea where A might keep a phone?” Aria asked. Mona rolled her eyes.

                “If I knew where a phone was, don’t you think I would have used it by now? It’s been a month since you guys showed up, and I’ve been in that hole for two and a half weeks.”

                “We’ve been here a month?” Aria asked in shock. Mona nodded.

                “Come on, we have to hurry. I don’t want to leave Emily and Hanna on their own for any longer than we have to.”

\---

                Meanwhile, in a different part of the Dollhouse, Hanna and Emily were wandering around aimlessly. Hanna was starting to realize that there were a couple of flaws in her plan.

                “Maybe we should be looking for a phone too,” she said. Emily frowned.

                “Why? I thought our job was to distract A,” she said. Hanna nodded.

                “It is, but I just thought of something. What if, when the power comes back on, A us all split up and decides to go after them? We’ll be wandering around trying to cause a diversion while A goes after them, and none of us will end up finding a phone. It makes more sense for all of us to look. If we see A, we distract him, but we should use our time to try to help,” Hanna explained.

                “That makes sense. I’m still not sure about this whole thing though…” she said.

                “We can’t just sit on our asses and do nothing. We’ve been doing that for too long. We should have realized it ages ago. It’s five against one. The night of prom, instead of just running outside, we should have knocked out A after we stunned him. That would have given us the time to find a way to find help. There has to be more than one way out of here,” Hanna said stubbornly. Emily raised an eyebrow.

                “Look at you, being all optimistic,” she said drily.

                “Maybe Aria’s rubbing off on me,” Hanna said.

                “How exactly did you two become… whatever it is you’ve become?” Emily asked. Hanna shrugged.        

                “I’m not sure exactly. She came to my room one night… And it just went on from there,” she sighed, thinking back to that first night. All of a sudden, Emily froze.

                “What? What’s wrong?” Hanna asked worriedly. Emily pointed to the room they were about to enter, and Hanna gasped. They were standing in a nursery.

\---

                “This is pointless. There’s nothing here for us to find. A would keep anything helpful under lock and key,” Mona said. Aria glared at her.

                “We don’t know that. We’re going to find something,” she said, looking at Spencer for backup. The taller girl sighed.

                “I don’t know, Ar. It does seem like a long shot,” Spencer said. Aria turned her glare to her friend.

                “I might stand corrected,” Mona said, coming to a standstill. Spencer and Aria turned their gaze to what Mona was looking at. To their right, there was a room. The door had been flung open as if someone had left in a hurry. They cautiously stepped inside and gasped.

                They were in A’s Lair.

\---

                “What is all this crap?” Hanna asked, picking up a baby blanket out of a crib. Emily shrugged.

                “It looks like baby stuff,” Emily said. Hanna rolled her eyes.

                “No shit. But why does A have all of it? I didn’t take A as the baby type,” she commented, looking at the embroidery on the blanket. It spelled out “Charles”. She’d never seen it before, but there was something familiar about it. She was about to show Emily, when she noticed someone else walking into the room.

                Hanna screamed.

\---

                “There’s a cell phone right here!” Aria exclaimed excitedly, picking up the small phone. Mona frowned and reached out for it.

                “Why do you get it?” Aria asked. Mona rolled her eyes.

                “Because it’s going to have a password, and I’m the best hacker here,” she explained. Satisfied with the explanation, Aria handed her the phone. Within minutes, Mona had the phone unlocked.

                “How did you do that?” Spencer asked in awe. Mona rolled her eyes again.

                “She’s Mona,” Aria reminded her.

                “Who are you calling?” Spencer asked, watching as Mona punched in a phone number.

                “Your mom,” Mona said. Spencer frowned, wondering how Mona had Veronica’s phone number. She decided it was better not to ask.

                “Can I talk to her?” Spencer asked, hearing her mom answer. Mona held up a finger. Spencer waited impatiently for Mona to finish explaining everything to Veronica. Finally, Mona handed her the phone.

                “Mommy?” she whispered. She heard her mother cry in relief.

                “The police are on their way, honey. Everything is going to be okay.”

\---

                “Emily, behind you!” Hanna warned. Emily turned around in time to see a hooded figure swing their arm at her head, knocking her to the floor. Hanna began backing away from the person, but there was nowhere to go. She reminded herself that she needed to be brave, she needed to distract A long enough for the others to call for help.

                “Who are you?” she asked. No answer.

                “Are… are you Ali and Jason’s brother?” she asked tentatively. The person stopped moving toward her.

                “You are, aren’t you? We can help you, okay? If you let us out, we can get help for you,” Hanna promised. Her words seemed to anger A, and he began advancing toward her. He raised an arm and a second later Hanna’s world went black.

\---

                Aria was pacing around Spencer’s hospital room, waiting for news on Hanna. She’d wanted to sit with her girlfriend, but Ashley had sent her away, promising to find her when Hanna woke up.

                “Aria, sit down. You’re giving me a headache,” Spencer complained from her bed. Aria glared at her friend, who sighed.

                “Why don’t you go pace around Emily’s room for a while?” she suggested.

                “Please, Pam is worse than Ashley,” Aria complained, but she did sit down. The police had shown up at the dollhouse not long after they’d made the call to Veronica. Spencer, Aria, and Mona had quickly been ushered out, but it took longer to find Emily and Hanna. When they did find them, the two girls were passed out, and there had been blood flowing from Hanna’s head. That was all they’d heard. Finally, Ashley walked into the room. Aria shot up.

                “Is she awake? Can I see her?” Aria asked. Ashley nodded, looking tired. Aria practically raced down the hall into her girlfriend’s room. She stopped in the doorway, suddenly shy. Then the blonde noticed her, and her face broke into a smile.

                “Aria!” she exclaimed happily. That was all she needed to rush over to her girlfriend.

                “Are you okay?” she asked, sitting on the bed next to her. Hanna nodded.

                “I asked my mom to tell Caleb I can’t have any visitors,” she said. Aria sighed, the comment bringing her back to reality.

                “What’s wrong?” Hanna asked.

                “I just… I forgot you have a boyfriend,” she said. Hanna kissed her gently.

                “Not for long,” she promised, making Aria smiled. They still had a number of hurdles to jump over, but they were safe and they had each other. They would be okay.

 


	32. Epilogue

Epilogue

 

                As it turned out, happily ever after didn’t happen overnight. As if to prove this point, the girls weren’t even allowed to go to prom. But, despite the fact that they instead had to attend a pity prom in Spencer’s barn, Aria was actually having a good time. She couldn’t believe how much things had changed since they’d gotten away from the Dollhouse. Breaking up with Caleb had been rough for Hanna. The last time he’d seen her, they’d been completely in love, and all of a sudden she was breaking up with him. Aria knew how much it had hurt Hanna to hurt Caleb, but it had led to her being happier than ever before. Throughout dealing with PTSD, breakups, and figuring out who Charles was, the two had become closer than ever.

                So even though they were dancing at a pity prom, Aria couldn’t imagine being happier. Hanna looked absolutely gorgeous in her dress, and Aria was having a hard time keeping her hands off of her girlfriend.

                “What are you looking at?” Hanna asked with a smirk. Aria blushed, knowing she’d been caught staring.

                “You,” she said truthfully. Hanna laughed and kissed her, making Aria’s heart flutter. She was still getting used to being able to kiss Hanna anytime she wanted without worrying about who was watching.

                “Get a room, you two!” Spencer joked from the couch. Okay, scratch that. Aria was still getting used to being able to kiss Hanna anytime she wanted without worrying about _A_ watching.

                “You’re just jealous!” Hanna shot back, sticking her tongue out. Spencer huffed, but didn’t argue with her. Hanna was right; she and Aria were the couple to be jealous of.

                “Hey, Han?” Aria said. Hanna turned her eyes away from Spencer to look at her girlfriend.

                “Hmm?”

                “I’ve been thinking about something, and I haven’t said anything because I was worried it might be too much or too soon or something, but the more I think about it the more—”

                Hanna cut her off with a kiss.

                “You’re rambling,” she said with a grin. Aria blushed again.

                “Sorry,” she said. Hanna rolled her eyes.

                “Don’t apologize, just tell me what’s on your mind,” Hanna prompted. Aria sighed, worried that she might be about to ruin the night.

                “I wanted to ask you something,” she mumbled. Hanna raised an eyebrow, waiting for Aria to elaborate.

                “You know how I won that summer internship in Los Angeles?” Aria asked. Hanna nodded. Despite the fact that that night had been a disaster, she couldn’t be prouder of what her girlfriend had accomplished.

                “Come to LA with me,” she said. Hanna’s jaw dropped slightly.

                “You want me to come with you? For your internship?” she asked in surprise. Aria nodded.

                “Yeah, of course I do. I mean, if you want to,” she stuttered. Hanna broke out into a grin, and she threw her arms around Aria’s neck.

                “Yes! Yes, Aria, I would love to come to LA with you!” she exclaimed happily. Aria grinned and kissed Hanna.

                “Guys, as sweet as your plans for the summer are, I think we might have a problem,” Spencer said. Hanna frowned, annoyed that her moment was being interrupted.

                “Besides the fact that we’re at a pity prom?” she asked sarcastically, prompting a giggle from Aria.

                “No. The fact that I’m pretty sure Alison is at the real prom,” Spencer said, holding up Emily’s phone. Hanna’s frown deepened. She stepped forward to pick up the phone and gasped.

                “What? What is it?” Aria asked, straining to look over her girlfriend’s shoulder.

                “Bridget Wu has a beautiful dress, and she’s wearing it BACKWARDS,” Hanna said in horror. Emily rolled her eyes and took her phone back.

                “No, that’s not what you’re supposed to be looking at. Look, there, in the background. It’s Alison,” Emily insisted. Hanna squinted.

                “Oh my god. Just when I was having a good night, she has to go ruin it!” Hanna exclaimed angrily.

                “She’s going there to meet Charles, isn’t she?” Aria asked. Spencer nodded.

                “Yeah, I bet she is.”

                Hanna groaned, causing everyone to look at her.

                “What’s wrong?” Aria asked worriedly.

                “I can’t believe her! She’s totally ruining our pity prom! She _had_ to go run after Charles _tonight_ , and now we have to go after her!” Hanna complained. Aria laughed and kissed her cheek.

                “Well, come on. Let’s get this over with. Maybe we can still save the night.”

\---

                “What are you doing?” Hanna asked. She and Aria were curled up in Hanna’s bed. The police had finally let them go home, and luckily their parents had agreed to let them spend the night together.

                “I’m kissing you,” Aria said innocently. Hanna sighed, and gently pushed Aria off of her.

                “I’m sorry, Ar. I’m just not really in the mood for that right now,” Hanna apologized. Aria kissed her forehead.

                “I’m not either. I was just trying to save the night,” she explained. Hanna smiled sadly and kissed her back.

                “It’s okay. I’m glad everything’s over, I just can’t help feeling bad for Charlotte, you know? She was such a bitch, but I still feel bad for her,” Hanna said.

                “I know. I feel bad for her too. But more importantly, she’s going to get the help she needs. We’re safe now. And we’re going to spend the summer in LA. And after that, who knows? A’s gone, we can do whatever we want,” Aria said. Hanna grinned.

                “That’s true. I love you,” she said. Aria kissed her gently.

                “I love you too, baby. Forever.”

 


End file.
